Posted: Jan 3, 2008, 8:19 AM CST
People will be having sex with robots by 2050, an artificial intelligence expert has predicted.
David Levy's book Love And Sex With Robots: The Evolution Of Human-Robot Relationships claims robots will become so lifelike that they will be hard to distinguish from real people.
The 62-year-old, also a chess master, writes in his book: "Great sex on tap for everyone, 24/7. What's not to like?"
Robot technology is advancing hugely across the world, with Japan in particular making great strides towards robots which can help out in homes or hospitals.
Mr Levy believes that the people most likely to use a robot for sex are those who are too ugly or too isolated to find human romance.
He said: "They're lonely, they're miserable. I think society will be a much better place when they have an alternative that satisfies them without doing any harm to other people."
Mr Levy is not the first to predict sex with robots.
In 2006, Henrik Christensen of the European Robotics Research Network, predicted that people would be having sex with robots within five years.
Mr Levy also believes that relationships with robots may not just be about sex - people may end up marrying them as well.
"The question is not if this will happen, but when," he said, adding that he expected the state of Massachusetts to be the first in the US to allow it.
Mr Levy's book is due to be published in the UK in April by Duckworth.