[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":390},["ShallowReactive",2],{"slug-the-most-pressing-issues-in-bioethics":3},{"post":4,"relatedPosts":229,"relatedBooks":389},{"id":5,"date":6,"date_gmt":7,"guid":8,"modified":10,"modified_gmt":11,"slug":12,"status":13,"type":14,"link":15,"title":16,"content":18,"excerpt":21,"author":23,"featured_media":24,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":29,"categories":30,"tags":34,"project_category":57,"contact_email_category":58,"yst_prominent_words":59,"class_list":78,"better_featured_image":110,"acf":155,"yoast_meta":173,"_links":176},23437,"2026-05-11T10:36:13","2026-05-11T08:36:13",{"rendered":9},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?post_id=23437&_wpnonce=5e1f7e7cd0&status=auto-draft&type=post","2026-05-11T10:36:15","2026-05-11T08:36:15","the-most-pressing-issues-in-bioethics","publish","post","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-most-pressing-issues-in-bioethics",{"rendered":17},"The Most Pressing Issues In Bioethics",{"rendered":19,"protected":20},"\n\u003Cp>Who owns medical and genetic data? How to regulate gene editing? Where is the boundary of enhancing physical or cognitive human capabilities? What to do with biological differences widening the gap of the haves and have-nots? Could we define where the boundary is to augment life? Will we sue robots or algorithms for medical malpractice? With the constant advancement of technology, unprecedented moral, ethical and legal concerns are surfacing. Channeling them into substantial debates will get us closer to their fair solution step by step. Here, we collected the most pressing bioethics issues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Bioethicists\nof the world, unite!\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In 2018, a scientist in China \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nytimes.com\u002F2018\u002F11\u002F26\u002Fhealth\u002Fgene-editing-babies-china.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=inline&version=latest&contentPlacement=6&pgtype=sectionfront\">claimed to have edited\u003C\u002Fa> a gene in two human embryos and implanted them in their mother’s womb, resulting in the birth of genetically altered twin girls. The case caused international outrage in scientific circles, and a couple of months later, many \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fscience\u002F2019\u002Fmar\u002F13\u002Fscientists-call-for-global-moratorium-on-crispr-gene-editing\">scientists called for a global moratorium on gene-editing embryos\u003C\u002Fa>. However, that’s just one story from the ethically challenging situations on the edges of medical scientific innovation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The billionaires of Silicon Valley, as well as other\nprime examples of the “haves”, are pouring money into research of longevity and\naging, which might result in the even more widening gap between the life\nexpectancies of the affluent and the masses. Dr. David\nHimmelstein, the co-founder of the Physicians for a National Health Program and\na lecturer in medicine at Harvard Medical School, told Healthline that the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.healthline.com\u002Fhealth-news\u002Fcan-money-determine-how-long-you-live#2\">gap between the wealthiest and poorest Americans is already\nabout 10 years for women and 15 for men\u003C\u002Fa> – and we could expect an\nexponential increase there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Besides, we haven’t even touched upon bioethical topics around private and sensitive medical data, not to say genetic data. Who’s the owner, the distributor or the user of that data? What is it worth and who uses it for what purposes? Or what about connected medical devices used for healthy people? Could the use of an exoskeleton be allowed in a warehouse to enhance capabilities? What about brain implants or digital tattoos? Where should or might the augmentation of human bodies or cyborgization stop?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>We’re no longer in the realm of science fiction. These issues are real, well and alive. \u003Cstrong>While The Medical Futurist takes an overall optimistic approach to technology and emphasizes its benefits, we have to deal with the dark side – in order to take steps to counter them as soon as possible. Physicians, patients, regulators, and all other stakeholders must prepare for the coming waves of change. To do that, we need to start talking openly about the dangers we face. To spark discourse and urge bioethicists to speak a lot more and a lot louder about the most pressing \u003Cstrong>bioethics\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fstrong> \u003Cstrong>issues and topics,\u003C\u002Fstrong> here’s the ultimate list of the ones we consider the most relevant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>1) Medical and genetic data privacy\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The most important bioethics issue of our times is how to treat data, more specifically how to treat private and sensitive medical and genetic data. How should we secure, share or trade with sensitive data? Should sensitive fitness and medical data be shared with insurance companies? What if you ate red meat and your insurance company immediately raised your insurance rates because you’re not eating healthy enough?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-genomic-data-challenges-of-the-future\">What to do with genetic and genomic\ndata\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cstrong>? If you already purchased a direct-to-consumer\ngenetic test or any other one, what can companies do with your data? Can\nyou delete it or force the companies to make your genetic information\ndisappear? \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cstrong>Could it be allowed for companies, research\nconglomerates or pharma enterprises to purchase or sell such data, and if anyone\ndoes that, how to set the price for it? What is the price for a single person’s\nsequenced genome? Should there be a price?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>These are not far away and remote concerns. For example, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gsk.com\u002Fen-gb\u002Fmedia\u002Fpress-releases\u002Fgsk-and-23andme-sign-agreement-to-leverage-genetic-insights-for-the-development-of-novel-medicines\u002F\">in July 2018, GlaxoSmithKline decided to invest $300 million in 23andMe\u003C\u002Fa> and forge an exclusive drug development deal with the Silicon Valley consumer genetics company to research and develop innovative new medicines and potential cures, using human genetics as the basis for discovery. Ancestry, which maintains a more than \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ancestry.com\u002Fcorporate\u002Fnewsroom\u002Fpress-releases\u002Fancestry-surpasses-5-million-people-dna-database-giving-customers-even-more\">5-million-person\u003C\u002Fa> consumer database of genetic information, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.businessinsider.com\u002Fgoogle-calico-ancestry-dna-genetics-aging-partnership-ended-2018-7\">once partnered with Google’s stealthy life-extension spinoff\u003C\u002Fa> Calico to study aging. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.reuters.com\u002Farticle\u002Fus-health-dna\u002Fcashing-in-on-dna-race-on-to-unlock-value-in-genetic-data-idUSKBN1KO0XC\">Caitlin Curtis, a research fellow at the University of Queensland, estimates\u003C\u002Fa> 23andMe made around $130 million from selling access to about a million genotypes, before the GSK deal, implying an average price of around $130. That means if you purchased 23andMe’s genetic test for $100-150, your genetic information could have been bought for another $130 on average price. The question is whether we are okay with that…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"256\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FBioethics_Helix-512x256.png\" alt=\"bioethics\" class=\"wp-image-23440\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FBioethics_Helix-512x256.png 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FBioethics_Helix-768x384.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FBioethics_Helix-1536x768.png 1536w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FBioethics_Helix.png 2040w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: https:\u002F\u002Fblog.helix.com\u002Fbioethics\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>2\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cstrong>)\n\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cstrong>Cyber\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cstrong> \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cstrong>attacks\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cstrong> against \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cstrong>medical\ndevices\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cstrong>\nand systems\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cstrong>\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Do you remember \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-nhs-ransomware-attack-data-privacy-in-digital-health-part-one\">the\nWannaCry scandal\u003C\u002Fa>, the global cyber attack\nthat infected 300,000 computers in 150 countries using hacking tools? It also\ncrippled the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom. UK hospitals\nwere shut down and had to turn away non-emergency patients after ransomware\nransacked its networks. That was the complete and utter failure of the health\nIT infrastructure. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Since that attack, not only hospitals doubled down on cybersecurity, but Microsoft also started to take cybersecurity in healthcare as seriously as never before. The ransomware \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.beckershospitalreview.com\u002Fhealthcare-information-technology\u002F6-updates-on-the-worldwide-ransomware-attack.html\">exploited\u003C\u002Fa> a vulnerability that Microsoft had created a patch for two months earlier, but many organizations — including hospitals — had not appropriately updated their systems before the attack. \u003Cstrong>But is okaying the updates enough? And did huge medical facilities or tech companies dealing with vulnerable data even do the homework ever since?\u003C\u002Fstrong> It doesn’t seem so, although they should! Recently, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ftechcrunch.com\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F17\u002Fmedical-health-data-leak\u002F\">it turned out that California-based Meditab, a health tech company was leaking thousands of doctor’s notes\u003C\u002Fa>, medical records, and prescriptions daily after a security lapse left a fax server without a password.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The situation is not rosy regarding \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-nhs-ransomware-attack-part-ii\">the security of medical devices\u003C\u002Fa> either. In 2011, \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.theregister.co.uk\u002F2011\u002F10\u002F27\u002Ffatal_insulin_pump_attack\u002F\">a researcher from the McAfee tech company demonstrated\u003C\u002Fa> at a conference in Miami how insulin pumps might be hacked to deliver fatal doses to diabetes patients. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ftechcrunch.com\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F22\u002Fmedtronic-defibrillators-critical-flaws\u002F?fbclid=IwAR0IH13HUO1BmCTEuTOmzxXXENKZu3RIoyS_xvaSi9qVKNBmYnACFnr5kP4\">According to the latest news\u003C\u002Fa>, Homeland Security has issued a warning for a set of critical-rated vulnerabilities in Medtronic defibrillators that put the devices at risk of manipulation. \u003Cstrong>The question is – what can we do to protect wearable devices that are connected to our physiological system from being hacked and controlled from a distance? Companies developing such technologies should make sure they are safe and users should be as vigilant as possible when using them.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"205\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FCyberattack_Data-breach-512x205.jpg\" alt=\"bioethics\" class=\"wp-image-23442\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FCyberattack_Data-breach-512x205.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FCyberattack_Data-breach-768x307.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FCyberattack_Data-breach-1536x614.jpg 1536w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FCyberattack_Data-breach.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: www.healthitnews.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>3) What to do\nwith biohackers?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>With the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Frevolution-access-healthcare-diy-labs-makerspaces\">rise of the maker movement\u003C\u002Fa>, the availability of know-how, raw materials, and an active community, the appearance of “garage solutions” in medicine have multiplied. However, they cannot be considered as unambiguously positive or negative\u003C\u002Fstrong>. Some people have been working out long-term solutions for serious medical conditions outside of the traditional „ivory tower of medical knowledge” as they considered regulation to be too slow compared to innovation. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Our favorite example is the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fliving-with-an-artificial-pancreas\u002F\">#wearenotwaiting\nTwitter-movement for patients suffering from diabetes\u003C\u002Fa>. The initiator of the\ncommunity, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fliving-with-an-artificial-pancreas\u002F\">Dana\nLewis\u003C\u002Fa>, and her husband built a so-called artificial pancreas at home and\nstarted to spread the blueprints and know-how on Twitter to other diabetes\npatients – without waiting for the approval of the FDA or any other agency.\nWhy? Because it works and patients needed it. Dana had been using the device\nfor almost two years by the time the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bloomberg.com\u002Fnews\u002Farticles\u002F2016-09-28\u002Fartificial-pancreas-approved-by-fda-is-first-such-device-in-u-s\">US\nFood and Drug Administration finally approved it.\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>On the other hand, \u003Cstrong>experimenting at home with unapproved or not well-tested technologies is dangerous. Does it mean that patients who will be able to scan themselves, 3D print medications at home or even do genetic engineering should also be allowed to do all these? How should we go about biohackers? Where should the line be drawn between supporting innovation and refusing reckless experimentation?\u003C\u002Fstrong> Do you think that it’s just another far-fetched, non-existent gobbledygook? Have you heard about the biohacker who tried to do CRISPR therapy on himself at his own home? Josiah Zayner \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.buzzfeed.com\u002Fstephaniemlee\u002Fthis-biohacker-wants-to-edit-his-own-dna?utm_term=.rsJBR678M#.evELlvD9p\">injected his arm with DNA encoding for CRISPR\u003C\u002Fa> that could theoretically enhance his muscles—in between taking swigs of Scotch at a live-streamed event during an October conference. Now, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theatlantic.com\u002Fscience\u002Farchive\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fbiohacking-stunts-crispr\u002F553511\u002F\">he believes that wasn’t a good idea\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"256\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FDigital-Tattoos-Look-Like-Biohacking-512x256.jpg\" alt=\"bioethics\" class=\"wp-image-23443\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FDigital-Tattoos-Look-Like-Biohacking-512x256.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FDigital-Tattoos-Look-Like-Biohacking-768x384.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FDigital-Tattoos-Look-Like-Biohacking-1536x768.jpg 1536w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FDigital-Tattoos-Look-Like-Biohacking.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: www.dailydot.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>4) What if\nhealthy people turn\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cstrong>ed\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cstrong> to technology?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As technological innovations in\nthe field of medicine and healthcare multiply day by day, it will be \u003Cstrong>more and more usual to augment our bodies\nwith the help of machines. It makes us faster, stronger or more sensitive to\nthe environment. This means that the boundaries of “human-ness” are stretched.\nHow far can we and should we go?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>At first, we might \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fieet.org\u002Findex.php\u002FIEET2\u002Fmore\u002Fbjmurphy20160228\">experiment with exoskeletons\u003C\u002Fa> that let warehouse workers lift\nheavy boxes or allow doctors to stand through operations for more than 10\nhours. Those are easily removable mechanic extensions, but what about digital\ntattoos or other implants? What if someone wants to have a brain implant which\nlets him experience sensations better? We surely know that could go wrong –\njust think of \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.imdb.com\u002Ftitle\u002Ftt5058700\u002F?ref_=ttep_ep_cur\">the horrible episode of Black Mirror, Black\nMuseum\u003C\u002Fa>. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>However, digital tattoos could also be removed upon request, we assume, but what if people go one step even further in \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-worlds-most-famous-real-life-cyborgs\">cyborgization\u003C\u002Fa> and request irreversible changes in their bodies? What if people start asking their doctors to replace their healthy limbs for robotic ones because it would let them run faster? What if they start asking for indelible brain chips to get smarter? Currently, you can get a new nose or larger breasts, what would prevent you from getting new muscles or brain implants?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"292\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FCyborg-Brain-512x292.jpg\" alt=\"bioethics\" class=\"wp-image-23444\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FCyborg-Brain-512x292.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FCyborg-Brain-768x438.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FCyborg-Brain.jpg 1226w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: www.transpolitica.org\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>5) Biological differences based on inequalities in wealth\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Both staying healthy and healing\nfrom a condition cost enormous sums of money (well, for the average person, not\nthe Bugatti-buying upper 0.1 percent). Americans are even worse off than other\ndeveloped nations as the US spent 17.8 percent of its GDP on health care in\n2016. Meanwhile, the average spending of 11 high-income countries assessed in a\nreport published in the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fjamanetwork.com\u002Fjournals\u002Fjama\u002Ffullarticle\u002F2674671\">Journal of the\nAmerican Medical Association\u003C\u002Fa> – Canada, Germany, Australia, the U.K, Japan,\nSweden, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, and the U.S. – was only\n11.5 percent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fis-crowdfunding-the-grim-future-of-health-insurance\">average\ncost of hospital stays for cancer patients in 2015 was $31,390\u003C\u002Fa>, according\nto U.S. government figures — about half that year’s median household income. In\naddition, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\u002Fpmc\u002Farticles\u002FPMC3273528\u002F\">medical\nexpenses are the leading cause of bankruptcy in the U.S, according to a study\nthat\u003C\u002Fa> indicated about 62 percent of personal bankruptcies in 2007 were\nreportedly due to medical bills, even though most of those people had insurance\n— up from about 46 percent in 2001.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>It is even widely \u003Cstrong>reported that the differences in the financial background of people cause visible biological differences. As mentioned above, the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.healthline.com\u002Fhealth-news\u002Fcan-money-determine-how-long-you-live#2\">gap between the wealthiest and poorest Americans is about 10 years for women and 15 for men\u003C\u002Fa>, so there is a big spread with more affluent people living much longer than the poorer masses. And some are even expecting the widening of the chasm.\u003C\u002Fstrong> With the appearance of direct-to-consumer genetics, (for some) affordable whole-genome sequencing, and later on technologies which can truly augment human capabilities – exoskeletons, implants, digital tattoos, artificial limbs and so on – people with the appropriate means will \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fcan-money-buy-you-longevity-and-health\">live longer and healthier lives\u003C\u002Fa>. \u003Cstrong>How can we mitigate the differences? How can we make innovations more accessible to all kinds of communities? At the same time, how do we prepare society for a time when financial differences lead to biological ones?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"498\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FPeople-walking-on-the-street-512x498.jpg\" alt=\"bioethics\" class=\"wp-image-23445\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FPeople-walking-on-the-street-512x498.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FPeople-walking-on-the-street-768x746.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FPeople-walking-on-the-street.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: www.nytimes.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>6) \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cstrong>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fwhat-if-we-all-lived-beyond-130-years\">What if we live beyond 130 years\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cstrong>?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theatlantic.com\u002Fmagazine\u002Farchive\u002F2014\u002F10\u002Fwhat-happens-when-we-all-live-to-100\u002F379338\u002F\">Since 1840, life expectancy at birth has\nrisen about three months per year\u003C\u002Fa>. Thus, every year a newborn lives three months longer than those born\nthe previous year. Sweden, which keeps excellent demographic records,\ndocuments female life expectancy at 45 years of age in 1840 and 83 today. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.telegraph.co.uk\u002Fnews\u002Fscience\u002Fscience-news\u002F11562492\u002FMeet-the-doctor-who-is-convinced-he-will-live-to-150.html\">Experts\neven believe that\u003C\u002Fa> with recent breakthroughs in science and medicine coupled\nwith lifestyle changes, this number could reach far beyond 100 years. Tons of\nethical and philosophical questions appear with that possibility. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>What would longevity bring for the individual and for society? Does a longer life also go hand in hand with a physically and cognitively stable older age? Do we even want to live longer if we cannot keep our bodies fit for the task? And what about our societies? How would governments, institutions, communities and even our ideas about life itself cope with the changes? \u003C\u002Fstrong>How could we extend our lifespan beyond 100 years of age if the effects of an aging population already strain our societies? If younger generations cannot sustain the social system to provide care for their elders as they are growing older and older, significant structural changes will be necessary. Are we ready for those?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"257\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F07\u002Faging-man-512x257.png\" alt=\"augment life\" class=\"wp-image-21309\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F07\u002Faging-man-512x257.png 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F07\u002Faging-man-768x385.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F07\u002Faging-man.png 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: www.longevitynetwork.org\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>7) The horrors of\n\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cstrong>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fdisruptive-technologies-bioterrorism\">bioterrorism\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cstrong>\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>The sensitivity of medical and genetic data is mostly due to fears that\nthey could end up in the wrong hands – and for the time being, nothing can be\ndone to counter a potential attack\u003C\u002Fstrong>. Although wrongdoers have to possess\nvery sophisticated skills, so the risks are very low, but there are \u003Cstrong>some experts who worry that precision\nbioterrorism could appear alongside precision medicine and targeted treatments.\nThat would mean that according to genetic markers or any other biological\nmarkers, attackers could choose a target\npopulation and tailor their biological attack according to their genetic\nmake-up or medical data. As you cannot change your genome as you do with your passwords or credit cards,\nanyone can be completely defenseless against such an attack\u003C\u002Fstrong>. Some \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fleapsmag.com\u002Fbad-actors-getting-your-health-data-is-the-fbis-latest-worry\u002F\">FBI\nagents reported\u003C\u002Fa> they worry about healthcare data generated for precision\nmedicine leaving the US vulnerable to such scenarios.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Alongside with that, hacking of medical devices, complete infrastructures, and systems, manipulation of implants, digital tattoos or robots might leave us utterly assailable. As in the far future, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fwhy-people-should-not-fear-digital-health\u002F\">robots on the nanoscale could live in our bloodstream\u003C\u002Fa> or on our eyeballs, some people are also afraid that by using such tiny devices, total surveillance would become feasible – since nothing can remain hidden when there is a robot swimming through your bodily fluids. Let’s do everything in our power to counter these risks and come up with defensive measures as soon as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F05\u002Fclose-up-of-male-scientist-hand-inoculating-an-agar-plates-with-bacteria-in-microbiology-lab-512x384.jpg\" alt=\"microbiome testing\" class=\"wp-image-17777\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F05\u002Fclose-up-of-male-scientist-hand-inoculating-an-agar-plates-with-bacteria-in-microbiology-lab-512x384.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F05\u002Fclose-up-of-male-scientist-hand-inoculating-an-agar-plates-with-bacteria-in-microbiology-lab-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F05\u002Fclose-up-of-male-scientist-hand-inoculating-an-agar-plates-with-bacteria-in-microbiology-lab-334x250.jpg 334w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F05\u002Fclose-up-of-male-scientist-hand-inoculating-an-agar-plates-with-bacteria-in-microbiology-lab.jpg 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: www.genomemag.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>8) \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-future-of-sex-and-sexuality\">Sexuality becoming technological\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cstrong>\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Long-distance kisses, hugs, and\ncaresses. Virtual reality porn stars. Sex robots threatening the world’s oldest\nprofession. Technosexuals living with life-sized dolls. At the dawn of a new\nsexual revolution, it’s time to face where technology may take the most intimate\narea of our lives, where will that take humanity, where are our boundaries and\nwhether we want any of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>According to the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffutureofsex.net\u002FFuture_of_Sex_Report.pdf\">Future of Sex report\nwritten by Jenna Owsianik and Ross Dawson\u003C\u002Fa>, haptic body suits or social\nnetworking sites enhanced with sensual touch interfaces might soon enable fully\nphysical long-distance sex between lovers or hook-up partners thousands of\nkilometers away. Not to mention the possibility of intimate video chats combining\nremote sex devices and holographic partners. \u003Cstrong>The authors even estimate that by 2028, that means in ten years (!),\nover a quarter of young people will have had a long-distance sexual experience.\nBy 2025, 3D-printed body parts could add more realism to the over-the-line sex\ngame. \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The other line of innovation includes robots resembling human sex partners. \u003Cstrong>\u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fgraphics.bondara.com\u002FFuture_sex_report.pdf\">Some futurists even speculated\u003C\u002Fa> that by 2050, human-robot sex will be more common than human-human sex. But can you imagine having sex with a remote program or a robot? And what if something goes wrong? Do you see such, right now seemingly impossible future news headlines as “Woman Sues Robotics Company for Breaking Her Leg During Sex With Robot”?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F03\u002Fsex-robot-512x288.jpg\" alt=\"Future of Sex\" class=\"wp-image-17357\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F03\u002Fsex-robot-512x288.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F03\u002Fsex-robot-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F03\u002Fsex-robot-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F03\u002Fsex-robot-445x250.jpg 445w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F03\u002Fsex-robot.jpg 770w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: www.zdnet.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Takeaways on Bioethics Issues\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>These questions and bioethics issues cannot be answered by 90-minute-long keynotes and a Q&A session afterward. All kinds of stakeholders need to be brought together by bioethicists to see a vivid palette of opinions, after which, the potential ethical, moral or even legal rules can be set up concerning each of the issues in bioethics. That doesn’t mean only formal discussions – let’s discuss these bioethical topics at home, at the workplace, and on public forums. This way, we can prepare to exploit the advantages technology offers, while keeping the potential dangers at bay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>And we shall never forget: “Primum non nocere”!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"10px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At The Medical Futurist, we are building a community for making a bold vision about the future of healthcare reality today.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FFIbMejImnxs\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to support this mission, we invite you to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">join The Medical Futurist Patreon Community\u003C\u002Fa>. A community of empowered patients, future-oriented healthcare professionals, concerned health policymakers, sensible health tech developers, and enthusiastic medical students. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our research and sustains our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">\u003Cstrong style=\"background-color: #e71d3299; color: #000;\">Click here to support The Medical Futurist from as little as $3\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa> – it only takes a minute. Thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n",false,{"rendered":22,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>Who owns medical and genetic data? How to regulate gene editing? Where is the boundary of enhancing physical or cognitive human capabilities? What to do with biological differences widening the gap of the haves and have-nots? Could we define where is the boundary to augment life? Will we sue robots or algorithms for medical malpractice? With the constant advancement of technology, unprecedented moral, ethical and legal issues are surfacing. Channeling them into substantial debates will get us closer to their fair solution step by step. Here, we collected the 10 most pressing issues in bioethics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",6,23447,"closed",true,"","standard",{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[31,32,33],511,506,488,[35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56],1284,196,830,1285,212,831,1286,246,833,260,904,262,924,289,959,304,996,425,997,1101,1104,194,[],[],[60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,74,75,76,77],4489,4497,4499,1583,4501,1631,4503,1693,4505,1723,4507,1883,4511,1969,4513,1975,4515,2933,[79,14,80,81,82,83,84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91,92,93,94,95,96,97,98,99,100,101,102,103,104,105,106,107,108,109],"post-23437","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bioethics","category-cyborgization","category-genomics","tag-moral","tag-data-2","tag-sex","tag-debate","tag-dna","tag-sexuality","tag-medical-data","tag-future","tag-cyborgization","tag-genetics","tag-gene-editing","tag-genomics","tag-longevity","tag-innovation","tag-legal","tag-medical","tag-bioethics","tag-technology-2","tag-bioethical","tag-genomic","tag-genetic","tag-cyborg",{"id":24,"alt_text":111,"caption":112,"description":27,"media_type":113,"media_details":114,"post":5,"source_url":154},"bioethics","Source: www.youtube.com","image",{"width":115,"height":116,"file":117,"sizes":118,"image_meta":151},1280,720,"2019\u002F03\u002FFuture-Of-Humanity.jpg",{"medium":119,"large":125,"thumbnail":130,"medium_large":134,"large_old_512x288":135,"thumbnail_old_150x150":140,"medium_old_370x208":142,"medium_large_old_768x432":145,"large_old_512x288_old_512x288":148},{"file":120,"width":121,"height":122,"mime-type":123,"source_url":124},"Future-Of-Humanity-370x208.jpg",370,208,"image\u002Fjpeg","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FFuture-Of-Humanity-370x208.jpg",{"file":126,"width":127,"height":128,"mime-type":123,"source_url":129},"Future-Of-Humanity-768x432.jpg",768,432,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FFuture-Of-Humanity-768x432.jpg",{"file":131,"width":132,"height":132,"mime-type":123,"source_url":133},"Future-Of-Humanity-150x150.jpg",150,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FFuture-Of-Humanity-150x150.jpg",{"file":126,"width":127,"height":128,"mime-type":123,"source_url":129},{"file":136,"width":137,"height":138,"mime-type":123,"source_url":139},"Future-Of-Humanity-512x288.jpg",512,288,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FFuture-Of-Humanity-512x288.jpg",{"file":131,"width":141,"height":141,"mime-type":123,"source_url":133},"150",{"file":120,"width":143,"height":144,"mime-type":123,"source_url":124},"370","208",{"file":126,"width":146,"height":147,"mime-type":123,"source_url":129},"768","432",{"file":136,"width":149,"height":150,"mime-type":123,"source_url":139},"512","288",{"aperture":152,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":152,"copyright":27,"focal_length":152,"iso":152,"shutter_speed":152,"title":27,"orientation":152,"keywords":153},"0",[],"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FFuture-Of-Humanity.jpg",{"related_posts":156,"related_posts_footer":160,"cta_type":27,"cta_color":27,"subtitle":27,"related_books":20,"key_takeaways":164},[157,158,159],13373,13990,21303,[161,162,163],22549,20686,17353,[165,167,169,171],{"title":166},"\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Bioethics examines the ethical, social, and legal dilemmas\u003C\u002Fstrong> that emerge in the fields of biomedicine and biomedical research.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"title":168},"\u003Cp>Key bioethical issues include genetic engineering, particularly CRISPR, raising concerns about designer babies and genetic inequality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"title":170},"\u003Cp>Data privacy and security are critical as health data becomes increasingly digitized, posing risks to patient confidentiality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"title":172},"\u003Cp>AI in healthcare presents ethical dilemmas regarding decision-making, bias, and the potential dehumanization of patient care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"yoast_wpseo_title":174,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":175,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":15},"Top 8 Issues in Bioethics in 2024 - The Medical Futurist","Top Issues & Topics in Bioethics 1) The most important bioethical topic is medical data privacy 2) Bioethical issues of increasing life expectancy 3)",{"self":177,"collection":183,"about":186,"author":189,"replies":192,"version-history":195,"predecessor-version":199,"wp:featuredmedia":203,"wp:attachment":206,"wp:term":209,"curies":225},[178],{"href":179,"targetHints":180},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F23437",{"allow":181},[182],"GET",[184],{"href":185},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts",[187],{"href":188},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftypes\u002Fpost",[190],{"embeddable":26,"href":191},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fusers\u002F6",[193],{"embeddable":26,"href":194},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=23437",[196],{"count":197,"href":198},16,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F23437\u002Frevisions",[200],{"id":201,"href":202},60731,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F23437\u002Frevisions\u002F60731",[204],{"embeddable":26,"href":205},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F23447",[207],{"href":208},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=23437",[210,213,216,219,222],{"taxonomy":211,"embeddable":26,"href":212},"category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=23437",{"taxonomy":214,"embeddable":26,"href":215},"post_tag","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=23437",{"taxonomy":217,"embeddable":26,"href":218},"project_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=23437",{"taxonomy":220,"embeddable":26,"href":221},"contact_email_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=23437",{"taxonomy":223,"embeddable":26,"href":224},"yst_prominent_words","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=23437",[226],{"name":227,"href":228,"templated":26},"wp","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.w.org\u002F{rel}",[230],{"id":163,"date":231,"date_gmt":232,"guid":233,"modified":235,"modified_gmt":236,"slug":237,"status":13,"type":14,"link":238,"title":239,"content":241,"excerpt":243,"author":23,"featured_media":245,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":246,"categories":247,"tags":251,"project_category":271,"contact_email_category":274,"yst_prominent_words":275,"class_list":283,"better_featured_image":310,"acf":336,"yoast_meta":345,"_links":347},"2021-02-17T10:00:55","2021-02-17T09:00:55",{"rendered":234},"http:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?p=17353","2021-02-17T10:52:31","2021-02-17T09:52:31","the-future-of-sex-and-sexuality","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-future-of-sex-and-sexuality",{"rendered":240},"The Technological Future Of Sexuality And Sexual Health",{"rendered":242,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Long-distance hugs; virtual reality porn stars; technosexuals living with automated dolls; you might have caught such news snippets online, but you’ll have to get used to these with the technological transformation of sex. Indeed, if technology permeates the entire terrain of human relations, why should sex and sexuality be an exception? \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sextech is already \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.forbes.com\u002Fsites\u002Fbernardmarr\u002F2020\u002F11\u002F30\u002Ffuture-of-intimacy-sex-bots-virtual-reality-and-smart-sex-toys\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a $30 billion-strong industry,\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> but analyses expect it to grow further to \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.prnewswire.com\u002Fnews-releases\u002Fglobal-52-7bn-sex-toys-market-outlook-2026---rising-presence-of-online-retailers-drives-the-industry-300973202.html\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$52.7 billion by 2026\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Such devices even made their way into the popular Consumer Electronic Show in \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cnet.com\u002Fpictures\u002Fces-2020-all-the-sex-tech-on-display\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2020\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.welltodoglobal.com\u002Fsex-tech-takes-centre-stage-at-ces-2021\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2021\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> showing that tech and sex are increasingly getting intermingled. But far from Tinder, \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.techradar.com\u002Fnews\u002Fhackers-used-ransomware-to-lock-up-internet-enabled-chastity-device\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ransomware-prone male chastity devices\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ci>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ouch!\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fi>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) or dystopian scenarios, technology can also augment our sexual health, especially when it comes to stigmatised conditions. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Science fiction creators have already explored such subjects with recent movies and shows. Spike Jonze’s \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ci>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fi>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(2013) told a beautiful love story between Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) and an artificial intelligence (A.I.) operating system. In \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ci>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ex Machina\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fi>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (2015), Alicia Vikander takes the character of a robot capable of interpreting and responding to human feelings, while also manipulating people in its environment. The popular HBO show \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ci>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Westworld \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fi>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on the other hand depicted inhumane violence that humans can inflict on robotic companions.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether living out one’s sexual fantasies on robots affects real-life interactions with human partners or whether sex robots threaten the world’s oldest profession are such questions that we must contemplate. This is because advanced technologies will increasingly become commonplace in this area of our lives. As we step into\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the dawn of a new sexual revolution, it’s time to face where technology may take the most intimate area of our lives. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For further insights we also talked with a transhumanist, a sexual health tech startup and a technosexual; because even though this year’s Valentine’s Day seemed like any other, those in coming years might be wildly different.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch1>\u003Cb>Sex and companionship during the pandemic\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The need to limit travel and to introduce lockdowns amidst the pandemic impacted our sexual lives like nothing before. Many had no physical contacts with their partners for months and as a consequence, we had to adapt. As work and shopping increasingly turned to virtual solutions, so did sex. Sexting \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmashable.com\u002Farticle\u002Fsexting-nudes-increase-coronavirus-quarantine\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">saw a rise\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as did the \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ftheconversation.com\u002Fcybersex-erotic-tech-and-virtual-intimacy-are-on-the-rise-during-covid-19-141769\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sale of sextech\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. More and more people \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmashable.com\u002Farticle\u002Finfluencer-onlyfans-sex-work\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">flocked to OnlyFans\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a streaming platform mostly associated with digital sex work. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffutureofsex.net\u002FFuture_of_Sex_Report.pdf\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Future of Sex report\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> more than 25% \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of young people will have had a long-distance sexual experience.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other forms of companionship are also adopting socially-distant features. For “only” £250, you can get a \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcutecircuit.com\u002Fhugshirt\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HugShirt\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This smart shirt \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">allows people to send hugs over distance – just like a text message. The wearer can feel the strength, duration, and location of the touch, skin warmth, and the heart rate of the sender.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> There’s now also the possibility to send a kiss remotely with the \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fkissenger.lovotics.com\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kissenger from Lovotics\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. By kissing the device’s artificial mouth on the sender end, the receiver device “\u003Cem>provides the convincing properties of the real kiss.”\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For fans of sci-fi, Gatebox released the \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.otaquest.com\u002Fgatebox-to-begin-shipping-their-mass-production-model\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GTBX-100, \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which is an Alexa-like virtual home assistant but with a more “human touch.” It features a cute humanoid hologram that “lives” in a capsule, allowing you to interact with “her” more naturally, and she can even act as the user’s wife.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Gatebox - Promotion Movie "OKAERI"_english\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FnkcKaNqfykg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such contraptions might sound strange or even funny, but they can address real issues. Before the pandemic, a “\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.forbes.com\u002Fsites\u002Fneilhowe\u002F2019\u002F05\u002F03\u002Fmillennials-and-the-loneliness-epidemic\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">loneliness epidemic\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">” was already spreading. Japan already had \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.japantimes.co.jp\u002Fnews\u002F2016\u002F09\u002F07\u002Fnational\u002Fjapan-home-541000-young-recluses-survey-finds\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">over half a million people\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> below 40 years of age who hadn’t had interactions with anyone or left their house for at least six months. Solo households’ share amounts to \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cbc.ca\u002Fnews\u002Fpolitics\u002Fcensus-2016-marriage-children-families-1.4231163\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">28% in Canada\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fec.europa.eu\u002Feurostat\u002Fweb\u002Fproducts-eurostat-news\u002F-\u002FDDN-20180706-1\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">34% in the European Union\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Loneliness can have \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.forbes.com\u002Fsites\u002Fneilhowe\u002F2019\u002F05\u002F03\u002Fmillennials-and-the-loneliness-epidemic\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">devastating health consequences\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> like depression or even predispose to physical conditions like heart disease. As providing companionship and intimacy online becomes more adopted, such solutions could become more accessible to those wary of physical interactions.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch1>\u003Cb>Destigmatising sexual health\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New technological approaches can also address other sensitive topics like sexual health. The latter is often stigmatised and a taboo subject for many. “\u003Cem>A positive relationship to sex shouldn’t be a privileged thing, it’s a fundamental human right\u003C\u002Fem>,” \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fcareers\u002F2020\u002Fjul\u002F06\u002Fa-journey-to-mindful-sex-how-a-new-app-is-helping-women-find-sexual-wellbeing\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">said Billie Quinlan\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, co-founder of Ferly. The latter is a “mindful sex app” for women that, based on one’s profile, suggests appropriate audio guides that vary from encouraging the user to self-touch and explore through challenging negative beliefs about one’s body to discussing gynaecological anatomy. The app even saw \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fcareers\u002F2020\u002Fjul\u002F06\u002Fa-journey-to-mindful-sex-how-a-new-app-is-helping-women-find-sexual-wellbeing\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a 65% increase\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in organic downloads during the pandemic.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cfigure id=\"attachment_32723\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-32723\" style=\"width: 1304px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-32723\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F03\u002Fsex-health-app-sextech.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1304\" height=\"732\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F03\u002Fsex-health-app-sextech.jpg 1304w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F03\u002Fsex-health-app-sextech-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F03\u002Fsex-health-app-sextech-768x431.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1304px) 100vw, 1304px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption id=\"caption-attachment-32723\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: https:\u002F\u002Fmashable.com\u002F\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Men as well face the pressure of stigma when it comes to their sexual health. “\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cem>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Men’s health has a number of challenges, with everything from hard to access services to embarrassing conditions\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fem>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u003Cem>,\u003C\u002Fem>” Sam Shah, Chief Medical Strategy Officer of \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Numan\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, told us \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fposts\u002Ftaking-stigma-of-47274999\">in an interview\u003C\u002Fa> on our Patreon channel. This startup focuses on men’s health including conditions such as erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.numan.com\u002F\">Numan\u003C\u002Fa> also provides personalised supplements to support men through their online platform.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“\u003Cem>Numan takes a different approach, its focus is on being helpful to the people using our services and also trying to take some of the stigma out of conditions such as erectile dysfunction,\u003C\u002Fem>” Shah added. “\u003Cem>We’re doing that using social marketing techniques, using advertising and messaging that people can identify with. By helping men engage with our service we can help solve some immediate problems, but more importantly help to diagnose other underlying conditions such as diabetes or testosterone deficiency.\u003C\u002Fem>”\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sam Shah also noted that during the pandemic, the number of people using their services and similar ones increased. Hopefully, adoption remains high post-pandemic.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch1>\u003Cb>Robots are coming to your bedroom\u003C\u002Fb>\u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.geminoid.jp\u002Fen\u002Findex.html\">\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Futurist Dr. Ian Pearson \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffinance.yahoo.com\u002Fnews\u002Frobots-mean-future-sex-163000549.html\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">previously estimated\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in a report that by 2050, human-robot sex will become more common than human-human sex.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Is there any chance for that to happen? Considering the state of technology, it might. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Companies like \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.realdoll.com\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RealDoll\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Frealbotix.com\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Realbotix\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> manufacture A.I.-powered \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">adult dolls \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">endowed with facial expressions and conversing abilities. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Realbotix’s iconic sex robot, Harmony, which can cost up to $12,000, \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.forbes.com\u002Fsites\u002Fandreamorris\u002F2020\u002F07\u002F28\u002Ftalk-to-your-sex-robot-about-covid-19\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has even received an update\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that adds a coronavirus conversational feature.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Already, there are people with such robotic partners: the \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">so-called technosexuals. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Among them is \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ftwitter.com\u002FDavecat\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Davecat,\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> who lives with his wife and mistress; both synthetic dolls. He told The Medical Futurist that being a technosexual has improved his life, without question. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He said he felt isolated and alone, without a place in society. After he began his relationship with his synthetic partners, everything changed. He says he is now happy and that his friends accept his choice. He added his dolls were necessary to start living a better life.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Realbotix Sex Robot, Harmony discusses COVID-19 and depression.\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FzuTN3M1BYg0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While such dolls often err in \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fspectrum.ieee.org\u002Fautomaton\u002Frobotics\u002Fhumanoids\u002Fwhat-is-the-uncanny-valley\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the uncanny valley\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or when artificial human depictions look lifelike, but something still feels off; they are still sought after in the world’s oldest profession. From \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.scmp.com\u002Fnews\u002Fhong-kong\u002Fsociety\u002Farticle\u002F3078456\u002Ftourists-gone-hong-kong-guest-house-owner-hopes-sex-doll\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hong Kong\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.reviewjournal.com\u002Flocal\u002Flocal-las-vegas\u002Fsex-dolls-experience-raises-eyebrows-in-las-vegas-neighborhood-1950537\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Las Vegas\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.vox.com\u002Fthe-goods\u002F2018\u002F11\u002F26\u002F18113019\u002Fsex-doll-brothels-legal-sex-work\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sex doll brothels\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are now a reality. Europe’s first sex doll brothel, which opened in Barcelona, attracts \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.vice.com\u002Fen\u002Farticle\u002Fxgq54d\u002Finside-europes-first-sex-doll-brothel\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">around 55 clients every week\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Another brothel in the same city even “employs” both artificial and human prostitutes. Some \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.express.co.uk\u002Fnews\u002Fworld\u002F779841\u002FSex-robot-brothel-Lumidolls-Barcelona-prostitutes-complain-police\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">consider these newcomers as a threat\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to the trade\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and has even led to \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcampaignagainstsexrobots.org\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Campaign Against Sex Robots\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The latter was founded in 2015 “\u003Cem>to warn against the dangers of normalising relationships with machines and reinforcing female dehumanisation\u003C\u002Fem>”.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other hand, Davecat told us that he thinks such companions can be adequate for lonely people, those unlucky in romance or not fitting in society. With the ability to not only listen but also respond, they can be a genuine benefit to thousands of individuals, he added.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch1>\u003Cb>VR takes porn into another reality… without ever replacing human contact\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Going one step further from artificial dolls, the sex industry is also accommodating virtual, intangible sex workers altogether. Indeed\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the adult entertainment industry has always been on the cutting edge of technological revolution, \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">so it’s no wonder that industry experts estimate that virtual reality (VR) porn accounts for \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fskarredghost.com\u002F2019\u002F04\u002F12\u002Fstatus-of-augmented-reality-ar-porn\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">50% of the total VR market\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The biggest appeal of VR porn is that it gives the potential feeling of being \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ci>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fi>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the movie thanks to the 360-degree films that allow viewers to move their heads around\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (but not much else)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, under COVID lockdown, it’s the closest thing to real sex some might experience. That’s why some VR porn companies have experienced as much as \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.insider.com\u002Fadult-entertainment-industry-seeing-rise-in-vr-porn-isolation-2020-3\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">30% growth in sales\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> since lockdowns began. Even regular, 2D porn saw a boost as \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.insider.com\u002Fadult-entertainment-industry-seeing-rise-in-vr-porn-isolation-2020-3\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PornHub’s surge in traffic\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> attests. As \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.insider.com\u002Fnew-york-city-coronavirus-safe-sex-guide-rimming-masturbation-2020-3\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New York City health officials put it\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ‘you are your safest sex partner’.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cfigure id=\"attachment_32725\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-32725\" style=\"width: 950px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-32725\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F03\u002FVirtual-reality-VR-sex-relationship.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"950\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F03\u002FVirtual-reality-VR-sex-relationship.jpg 950w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F03\u002FVirtual-reality-VR-sex-relationship-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F03\u002FVirtual-reality-VR-sex-relationship-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption id=\"caption-attachment-32725\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: https:\u002F\u002Fmashable.com\u002F\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.insider.com\u002Fwhy-people-use-virtual-reality-porn-what-psychologists-think-2019-11\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">psychologists advise\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> indulging in VR porn with moderation. Otherwise, viewers might not satisfy themselves with real experiences and even grow dependent on it. “\u003Cem>No matter how real it feels and how much you enjoy it, that person on the screen is never going to replace proper human contact,\u003C\u002Fem>” \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.insider.com\u002Fadult-entertainment-industry-seeing-rise-in-vr-porn-isolation-2020-3\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">psychologist Perpetua Neo said\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In extreme cases, it could even lead to so-called “\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.insider.com\u002Fadult-entertainment-industry-seeing-rise-in-vr-porn-isolation-2020-3\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">porn-induced erectile dysfunction.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">” It refers to viewers’ brains getting accustomed to such extreme levels of stimulation that they can’t get stimulated enough by their real-life partner.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch1>\u003Cb>Sextech and the future of society\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At this point, \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you might be experiencing a feeling of shock, outrage, frustration, amazement\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or the combination of all four. However, you should consider that technology is always developed as a response to \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">human needs\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are people who live in long-distance relationships and desperately lonely people. Others might have problems with monogamy or  forming long-lasting (sexual) relationships.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Others who live in marriage and everything else except sex is working just fine. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some even struggle with their own sexuality and matters of sexual health. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The future of sextech can offer solutions to live a fulfilling sexual life.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, these also \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bring along a host of ethical and moral questions about our relationships\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and our society as a whole. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is VR sex cheating or a safe way to experiment? We could ask the same about A.I. sex dolls too. Moreover, should the latter be allowed to recreate questionable or downright immoral fantasies? \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“\u003Cem>Some robots are programmed to protest, to create a rape scenario\u003C\u002Fem>,” Dr Christine Hendren of Duke University \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bbc.com\u002Fnews\u002Fscience-environment-51330261\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">told BBC News\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. “\u003Cem>Some are designed to look like children. One developer of these in Japan is a self-confessed paedophile, who says that this device is a prophylactic against him ever hurting a real child.\u003C\u002Fem>” Researchers \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bbc.com\u002Fnews\u002Fscience-environment-51330261\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are already sounding the alarm\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that such robots present an increasing threat to individual, as well as societal, morals and psychology. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cfigure id=\"attachment_32727\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-32727\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-32727\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F03\u002Fsex-robot-doll-companion.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"641\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F03\u002Fsex-robot-doll-companion.jpg 960w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F03\u002Fsex-robot-doll-companion-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption id=\"caption-attachment-32727\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: https:\u002F\u002Fwww.forbes.com\u002F\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We will have to increasingly address these tough issues in the coming years. But it better happen sooner so that the boundaries are well-established among all members of society. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Transhumanist \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fzoltan-istvan-and-the-jesus-singularity\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zoltan Istvan told us\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that the question is not how technology changes sexuality, but whether sexuality can survive technology. He doesn’t think it will. Sexuality, like all social rituals, is something that will not be needed in a world where offspring are born in a test tube or where the idea of having offspring is abandoned altogether.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On our end, we think that society, sexuality and technology should find a common ground. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We should teach \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">younger generations\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> how to love, how to feel empathetic towards others, how to form long-lasting bonds; while also figuring out what place technology might get in our lives and sexuality. To preserve the core of being a human, we should do that soon. After all, what remains when the most precious human interactions – touching another human being with intimacy, care, and empathy – lose their authenticity and are completely replaced by robots and virtual reality?\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"10px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At The Medical Futurist, we are building a community for making a bold vision about the future of healthcare reality today.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dr. Bertalan Mesko, PhD, the Director of The Medical Futurist Institute, launched The Medical Futurist to help individuals, companies, and governments understand how digital health technologies bring healthcare into the 21st century.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u003Cem>“Digital health technologies empower patients to become proactive in their life; empower medical professionals to do their job being supported by advanced technologies, and companies and policymakers to make better decisions about their future.” – Dr. Bertalan Meskó\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To support this transformation, Dr. Meskó and The Medical Futurist team is working relentlessly analyzing the latest trends in digital health and bringing insights to the 800,000+ readers and followers of our publications, along these principles:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: #e71d3299;\">\u003Cstrong>The Medical Futurist is a place to learn, not a place for advertising\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fspan>. The Medical Futurist team is working to bring you unlimited access to reliable, neutral information, that is free from the influence of vendors and companies.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: #e71d3299;\">\u003Cstrong>Unlike many others, we keep 99% of The Medical Futurist content open for all readers\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fspan>, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. We do this because we believe in information equality, where everyone deserves to read accurate news and thoughtful analysis.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>For 2021, we commit to another year of high-impact reporting that helps people navigate the jungle of digital health and to see where it is heading. With no shareholders or billionaire owners, we set our own agenda and provide unbiased insights that are free from commercial and political influence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to support this mission, we invite you to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">join The Medical Futurist Patreon Community\u003C\u002Fa>. A community of empowered patients, future-oriented healthcare professionals, concerned health policymakers, sensible health tech developers, and enthusiastic medical students. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our research and sustains our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">\u003Cstrong style=\"background-color: #e71d3299; color: #000;\">Click here to support The Medical Futurist from as little as $3\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa> – it only takes a minute. Thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"rendered":244,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>Long-distance hugs; virtual reality porn stars; technosexuals living with automated dolls; you might have caught such news snippets online, but you’ll have to get used […]\u003C\u002Fp>\n",32755,{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[248,249,31,32,137,250],6479,493,514,[42,252,37,253,254,40,255,256,257,52,258,43,259,260,261,262,263,264,265,266,267,268,269,270],6671,377,6675,383,6677,832,6679,445,6681,6683,6685,1332,6687,6665,6689,6667,6669,167,545,[272,273],947,951,[],[276,277,71,278,279,72,280,281,63,282],1725,1853,2373,3347,1571,1577,1719,[284,14,80,81,82,83,84,285,286,85,86,287,288,95,289,90,290,291,93,292,293,294,105,295,96,296,297,298,299,300,301,302,303,304,305,306,307,308,309],"post-17353","category-covid-19","category-augmented-reality","category-robotics","category-virtual-reality","tag-gatebox","tag-robotics-2","tag-alexa","tag-science-fiction","tag-loneliness-epidemic","tag-porn","tag-ferly","tag-virtual-reality","tag-sam-shah","tag-numan","tag-dr-ian-pearson","tag-transhumanism","tag-davecat","tag-sextech","tag-istvan-zoltan","tag-hugshirt","tag-kissenger","tag-ces","tag-sensors","project_category-company","project_category-patients",{"id":245,"alt_text":27,"caption":27,"description":311,"media_type":113,"media_details":312,"post":334,"source_url":335},"Long-distance hugs; 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