A few decades ago, cars ran exclusively on gas and didn’t park themselves. Phones were portable, but we were still smarter than them. Sex tech mainly consisted of vibrators and was mostly for people with vaginas. My, how times have changed.

However, while everyone reading this is likely well aware of self-parking cars and smartphones, far fewer are aware of the equally mind-blowing advancements in sex tech. Furthermore, we could argue that the changes in human intimacy being heralded by said advancements are by far more profound than these other developments. Yet the percentage of people aware of modern sex tech is much smaller.

If we wish to reap all the rewards that sex tech has to offer while minimizing its risk to human intimacy, then it’s time to talk about it.

Despite the rapid evolution of sex tech, there's a significant knowledge gap among the public regarding these innovations. Most people have yet to experience VR porn, sex with a chatbot or avatar, or communicate with a sex worker during her live sex act on websites such as OnlyFans, which may make it more difficult for people to fully appreciate the power and intensity of today’s sex tech. Even many therapists, who recognize intimacy as a critical component of their work, are unaware of how AI combines with old-fashioned sex tech to manifest these developments.

This lack of awareness means that most people have little understanding of technology’s increasing power to impact intimacy, and thus the future of humanity. Sex tech already offers both intense sexual stimulation as well as emotional companionship. As these technologies evolve, they will offer experiences that surpass traditional human sexual interactions—at least in terms of personalized sexual satisfaction.

Yet how we humans will respond to increasingly potent sexual stimuli remains unclear. For example, as tech becomes more compelling both........

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