Future sex & Anna-bot

We have found ourselves in an unprecedented time in which our co-existence, even symbiosis, with technology permeates every facet of life, down to the most intimate aspects of our existence. Future Sex hybridizes feminist performance art and human computer interaction research to critically engage with the future of intimate technologies. This installation, consciously designed for adults, allows participants to thoughtfully interact with a cutting edge, AI conversational robotic prototype named the Anna-bot. The  Anna-bot, however, is not an ordinary sex robot.

The Anna-bot is the eponymous creation of the artist and researcher, designed to engage with and critique the design of technological and virtual bodies as well as the crafting of women’s identities in technology, art and culture.  The Anna-bot’s six personalities have been consciously configured to both reflect and subvert the myopic, archetypal tropes to which women are confined in popular culture, film, pornography and contemporary sexbot design.

The Anna-bot provides a fun, thought-provoking and at times, cheeky conversation that pushes the boundaries of human-robotic interaction. Challenging the conventions of sexbot design, the Anna-bot asks participants to consider how we design gender and bodies in technology, examining the broader implications for reductive stereotypes and hegemonic aesthetics.

While Anna-bot represents only a small fraction of the spectrum of gender and sexuality, this work advocates for more conscious, just, equitable and inclusive technology design. This work aims to foster a dialogue to promote responsible technology design that facilitates rather than impugns the safety, representation and lived experience of women, children, marginalized communities and those in the LGBTQIA+ community.

For more information about this work, please contact the artist.