VR Headsets Aren’t As Family-Friendly As You Think
Sound familiar? That’s because it’s straight out of a Black Mirror episode called “Striking Vipers,” where two straight men have gay sex in a virtual reality. As technology advances, we’re getting closer to a reality that’s barely real at all, but the use of VR headsets for porn is not new. It started with Oculus Quests. Featuring spatial audio and the ability to record in 3D, the Vision Pro unlocks endless possibilities for the adult entertainment industry. After all, one of the first things that the internet's advent brought on was the exchange of explicit images and messages. Before the headset is released to the public, then, we have to ask: when it comes to virtual intimacy, where do we draw the line between connection and escapism?
Deep down, people always feared that technology would replace their jobs. But it never occurred to them that it could also replace their relationships. As generative technologies like ChatGPT continue to develop, humans are becoming obsolete not only in the public sphere, but in the private one, too. To get to the bottom of this, we reached out to the founders of Dopple.ai, a platform that uses AI technology to generate a significant other that’s unique to each user. They elaborated, “It’s all about capturing the essence of an individual. With Dopple.ai, you can text your AI boyfriend or girlfriend on iMessage like they’re a real person.”
Tech-optimists insist that virtual reality and other emerging technologies help foster human connection, enabling individuals to explore their sexuality in a safe environment. However, this doesn’t address the issue of technology codependency. What happens when technological advancements risk completely replacing human forms of intimacy? That's for us to find out.
