From robots to real women: How society's objectification of tech fuels misogyny

In a world where technology promises to liberate and elevate humanity, the gross sexualisation of female robots exposes a darker, more sinister truth: misogyny is not just alive and well, it's thriving in the digital age.

All you need to do is take a glance at the comments section of a video showing a new female robot being introduced to the public. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was flooded with vulgar remarks from men, reducing what is considered a sophisticated piece of tech to nothing more than a sex object.

CES 2025 trade show attendee, Colin Smith, took to TikTok with a series of clips innocently showcasing various tech innovations – eight of those featured incredibly realistic robots. One clip of a robot named Melody racked up a staggering 4.2 million views, with the company expert explaining to Colin how she is considered a "companion robot" with interchangeable faces. Melody can move, talk and create various facial expressions – though, the expert noted she "cannot walk right now".

"She can look at you, she can recognise you, she can follow you around and she can also smile and when she locks into you, she'll recognise who you are," he explained.

To clarify, there is no indication that the company behind the design created the bots for sexual use. Instead, the company website states they serve a purpose for branded marketing events, to "making social connections in environments such as hospitals," or as a companion to tackle the US loneliness epidemic and "to provide company to the elderly or those isolated for health or geographic reasons."

However, the comments (most too explicit to repeat) inevitably went in other directions, understandably raising concerns that "not even our robots are safe" with others highlighting that the "comments are as scary as I expected them to be".

In light of the creepy comments from some men, many more already wanted to "protect" the robot, with one reiterating the sentiment "It's not the doll that’s creeping me out".

The man vs bear debate springs to mind...

While some of the men defended comments with the tired excuse of "it's just a robot," the disturbing response raised a deeper societal issue in that some men still refuse to see women as anything more than commodities to be owned and consumed.

If we don't tackle this head-on, the future won't be one of progression – it will be one of further degradation.

To understand the deeper implications, Indy100 spoke with Clarissa Silva, behavioural scientist, relationship coach and creator of Your Happiness Hypothesis Method, to understand how the sexualisation of female robots is intertwined with societal attitudes towards women.

According to Silva, it's not something we can just sweep under the rug, it reflects long-standing, deeply ingrained gender bias.

"Society has already experienced an increase of violence towards their synthetic partners by men," Silva explains – and she isn't wrong.

In 2018, a 'slaughtered' sex doll was discovered in Thailand, with 'injuries' so graphic they were likened to that of Jack the Ripper. A year prior, a sex doll named 'Samantha' on display at Linz’s Arts Electronica Festival was so badly damaged by a group of men that it had to be sent for repair.

Silva argues that technologies designed with anthropomorphic features, such as robots, serve to remove real women from men's lives. This, hand-in-hand with over-stimulus to porn could pave the way for real-life violence against women. Not to mention social media, which Silva believes "exacerbates misogynistic attitudes, influencing cultural thought, and creating voluntary isolation, which then makes insular worlds that turn misogyny into crack".

But what happens to the individuals consuming this type of tech in a NSFW way, and how does it shape their views of real women?

Silva argues that the effects are both psychological and relational. The rise of artificial partners – and the overconsumption of porn –can lead to deep psychological repercussions, particularly among young men.

"The increase in porn-induced erectile dysfunction and decreased social interaction in young men has contributed to seeking alternatives to human companionship," she explains. "If your only interactions with women are based on non-responsive interactions or pausable moments, you begin dismissing the entire life cycle of being able to approach women to have sex and eclipses your performance when you do."

When a person's experiences with women are confined to artificial or online interactions, ones in which women are always submissive and non-responsive, they are ill-prepared for the complexities of real-life relationships with real people.

Some men even lose interest in human connection, feeling intimidated when taking on real-life interactions. "Ironically, some men report feeling abandonment as a result of their synthetic companion over time," Silva explains.

The disconnect goes beyond personal relationships and has real-world consequences. Silva warns that isolation and avoidance may affect broader societal and professional outcomes.

"By reducing real human contact, it can blur reality, encourage unsafe practices that may then become suboptimal behavioural patterns used on humans, and it creates unrealistic expectations of your future partner and the gender entirely," Silva said.

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The problem, according to Silva, is not just the rise of robotic companions, but the larger societal frameworks that normalise misogynistic attitudes.

"The solution to misogynistic behaviour is not to create replicas of women who don't have needs, that can be rebooted when they offer the wrong response, don’t feel pain when abused, and support men’s idealised woman," she says.

As for the future of robots and gendered technology, Silva believes they could have a drastic impact on how we understand intimacy and consent.

"By reducing real human contact, it can blur reality, encourage unsafe practices, and create unrealistic expectations of future partners," she says. "It encourages unsafe practices that may then become suboptimal behavioural patterns that are used on humans, and it creates unrealistic expectations of your future partner and the gender entirely."

Treating tech in a hypersexualised way demonstrates that the battle against misogyny is not just a technological issue, it's a cultural one.

If we allow the hypersexualisation of robots and the increasing objectification of women in media to continue, society risks ingraining misogyny even further in both digital and physical spaces.

To ensure a healthier future for both men and women, society must actively combat these harmful trends before they become the new norm.

Indy100 reached out to the robot company for comment

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