Coming soon: Artificial wives?

Washington, Dec 9 (ANI): Move over artificial limbs, eyes and skin, for artificial wives will soon be soon the horizon, at least that's what a scientist claims.

According to David Levy, winner of the 2009 Loebner Prize for artificial intelligence, humans will be marrying robots within 50 years, reports The Washington Times.

"People will have fewer problems with robots," declares Levy, who cites advances in intelligence simulation that will enable people to carry on long-term relationships with artificial human companions.

He adds: "Robots will be programmed to be sensitive sex therapists and help them to get over their sexual problems."

Frederic Kaplan, the robotics researcher who co-programmed the brain of Sony's robot dog Aibo, however, is not convinced by Levy's claims.

He agrees that highly sophisticated sex robots will be available soon but says he doesn't think they will ever successfully pass as humans.

"It is not impossible that some of these robots will actually be 'sexy' in one way or another, but they will not be clones of human beings," Kaplan says.

The expert added: "Human-machine interactions will be interesting in their own right, but not as a simulation of human relationships." (ANI)