Recently, Elon Musk who is no stranger to controversy, has been touted on the social media waves again and this time it is posts of him in amorous embraces kissing “Robot wives”. The claim is that he is rounding up the production of emotionally intelligent female robots that could easily fit into the functions of a wife, giving men the companionship, communication, and emotional and physical satisfaction they would derive from a girlfriend or wife. Much as we know that this propaganda is AI (Artificial Intelligence) generated, it has stimulated my thoughts on the future of AI especially as relates to women and our roles.

It is expected that robots will play a more significant role in the workforce of the future. This of course portends the loss of certain cadres of jobs and with AI, the jobs that will be readily affected are jobs that tend to be repetitive in nature where statistical data can be programmed e.g., customer service, nursing, and teaching dynamics. These job roles will have to evolve. This could affect women who will be required to proactively anticipate changes and prepare for them. There will be a need for greater participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education as well as being involved in the digital space.

How about women and marriage did I hear you ask? Well, my research pulled up the first “Robot marriage” as one held in 1917 in China between Zheng Jiajia and the robot he created and named Jingjing. Zheng’s purported marriage arose from frustrations at his inability to find a wife. While the robot he created could neither walk nor communicate fluently, it was a start. With advancements in AI, we have voice assistants that communicate clearly like Siri (the Apple platform) and Alexa (Amazon), and much more intelligent humanoid robots like Sophia and Grace who mimic human expressions and social behaviour. It is believed that what may today be viewed as SCI -FI i.e., an AI Robot wife with real skin/human shape/female mimicking love emotions and catering to the physical, emotional, and relationship needs of men, will in no distant future be our reality. It seems even more feasible because such a creation would eliminate some of the existing challenges that relationships and marriages face such as difficult or unpleasant relationships, the menace of sexually transmitted diseases, emotional and psychological attachments, trauma from abuse or cheating, cost of maintaining a wife/girlfriend (dates, gifts, etc.) and the AI robot wife would be adept at good housekeeping, cooking meals, doing laundry, shopping carrying out conversations and communication, etc. That all sounds bleak, but I know that the only constant thing is change. It therefore behooves women to be a step ahead in fashioning out other creative roles, the same way the workforce must figure out its existence side by side with these humanoids.

Just imagine what AI in the hands of persons with mischievous intentions can do to a relationship using the Elon Musk example. May the Lord help us.

Undoubtedly, one function that will not be ceded to them is procreation and until science and technology can figure that out (if they ever do) motherhood remains the prerogative of the woman.  One thing stands out clearly, we must remain relevant to our evolving world and to do so, we must remain creative and proactive.  Is there the possibility of some form of polygamy involving the humanoid or the employment of the humanoid as an” assistant wife of sorts” in the home?

My parting thoughts are… Of a certainty, the advent of AI, which is our reality, deserves food for thought!

Love

Havilah