The concept of consent has long been central to human relationships, ensuring that both parties involved in an intimate encounter freely agree to the interaction. However, the advent of sex dolls raises interesting ethical questions about consent. Sex dolls, by their nature, are passive objects—designed to respond to human desires without agency of their own. But as these dolls become more advanced, with AI and robotic features, they may begin to simulate consent-like responses, raising questions about the ethical implications.
At what point do we start to question whether the experience of using a doll becomes one of mutual engagement? Can consent be truly simulated by an inanimate object, or does the lack of human agency render the concept irrelevant in these interactions? While a sex doll may respond to touch or commands, its passive nature means that it cannot truly “consent” in the way that a human partner would. This raises concerns about whether we might normalize one-sided, non-reciprocal intimacy and, in doing so, lose sight of the importance of consent in human relationships.