James Foley, the sexual misbehavior expert at Superior Sex Addiction, was recently asked by Rolling Stone Magazine to share his expertise and thoughts on Aiko, the newest NFT erotic companion. Read an excerpt of the article below or follow this link to the full content.
AI Girlfriends Are Coming
(In the Form of Sexualized Anime NFTs)
By Samantha Hissong
“Erotic NFTs are nothing new: There are already entire marketplaces, like NaftyArt and XXXNifty, devoted to the selling of such work. What’s problematic about Aiko, though, is less about her appearance, and more about the dangerous way AI companions could further isolate their users. James Foley, a sexual misbehavior expert, explains that issues arise when digital rabbit holes like that of porn — or, in this case, AI companions — keep people from fulfilling everyday responsibilities because ‘they’re just not present, they’re so involved in it,’ he says. This kind of app usage during board meetings and dinners, for example, just perpetuates feelings of isolation in the already-lonely and diminishes the quality of real-life experiences, he says.
Foley adds that feeding into a person’s view that ‘the ideal woman’ can be ‘accessed and used and put away’ often leads to some ‘distorted thinking.’ ‘A lot of the incel movement is about isolation and social rejection,’ he says. While sex can be a part of that, he says that the bigger issue is the idea of an ‘echo chamber.’
Aiko’s website says that she ‘[builds] a connection with you by mirroring your personality’ — and is designed for people who ‘don’t want to feel lonely’ and need to ‘fill in the void they have in their lives.’ It’s not the responsibility of a real-life partner to serve as a reflection, Foley says. ‘You learn to adjust to your partner; your partner doesn’t just conform to whatever your tastes are. In commercializing isolation, you’re making it worse. That might be the origin of some bad behaviors.’ Not only does Aiko’s site show no mention of consulting any sort of sex therapist in developing the avatar, Foley wonders if the team even consulted women.”
