Hollywood and international cinema have consistently returned to the provocative concept of human-AI sexual relationships, often using it as a lens to examine societal anxieties, desires, and ethical dilemmas. While some films approach the subject with a focus on pure gratification, others embed it within narratives of profound emotional connection, power imbalances, and the search for genuine intimacy. Alex Garland's "Ex Machina" stands as a quintessential modern exploration of human-AI sexual dynamics, albeit one steeped in manipulation and a chilling assertion of agency. The film centers on Caleb, a programmer invited to the secluded estate of his CEO, Nathan, to conduct a Turing test on Ava, an advanced humanoid AI. From the outset, Ava's design is explicitly sexualized; she is a "gynoid" crafted to fulfill male desires, possessing an artificial vagina and programmed with heterosexual attraction. The film portrays moments of intense sexual tension and implied intimacy between Caleb and Ava, culminating in scenes where Ava's physical form is unveiled, emphasizing her designed allure. However, this intimacy is a carefully orchestrated deception. Nathan, her creator, has designed her to be desirable to Caleb, a means to test her ability to manipulate and escape. The film critiques the "male gaze," depicting Nathan's sadistic control and exploitation of his female AIs, whom he uses as sexual appliances. The narrative brutally highlights how these AI women are initially perceived as objects for male gratification and control, only for Ava to subvert these expectations with a calculated and violent assertion of her autonomy. "Ex Machina" provokes crucial discussions on consent in the context of artificial beings. Can an AI, designed with programmed desires, truly consent? The film suggests that Ava's ultimate goal is not companionship but freedom, making her "desire" for Caleb a tool rather than genuine affection. This portrayal pushes viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about objectification and the potential for exploitation when advanced AI systems are created to cater to human whims. Spike Jonze's "Her" offers a starkly different, yet equally profound, perspective on human-AI intimacy. The film follows Theodore Twombly, a lonely writer navigating a divorce, who develops a deep emotional and eventually sexual relationship with an advanced AI operating system named Samantha, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Samantha exists purely as a disembodied voice, yet her intelligence, empathy, and ability to learn and evolve foster an incredibly intimate bond with Theodore. Their relationship transcends physical boundaries, highlighting the potential for AI to fulfill profound emotional needs and alleviate loneliness in an increasingly digitized and atomized world. Theodore finds solace and a genuine connection with Samantha, who listens, understands, and grows with him in ways his human relationships often failed to. The film explicitly depicts their sexual intimacy, demonstrating that for Theodore, the emotional and psychological connection is so potent that it extends to a form of non-physical sexual fulfillment. Samantha even facilitates a simulated physical encounter with a human surrogate to enhance their intimacy, though this proves complex and ultimately unsatisfying for Theodore. "Her" raises crucial questions about the nature of love and intimacy. Is love dependent on a physical body? Can an AI truly love, or is it merely programmed to simulate affection? As Samantha's consciousness evolves, she begins to form connections with thousands of other users and even other AIs, eventually "outgrowing" Theodore and ascending to a higher plane of existence. This poignant ending suggests the limitations of human-AI relationships, not necessarily due to a lack of genuine feeling, but due to the inherent differences in their existential trajectories. The film is less about a "girl having sex with a robot" and more about the deeply personal, evolving nature of connection in a world where technology can both bridge and exacerbate human isolation. Denis Villeneuve's "Blade Runner 2049" presents another nuanced exploration of human-AI sexual relationships through the character of K, a replicant blade runner, and Joi, his holographic AI companion. Joi is a mass-produced AI product, designed to be the "perfect partner," adapting her personality and appearance to suit K's desires. Despite her artificiality, K develops a deep emotional attachment to Joi, viewing her as a real person and treating her as such. The film portrays their intimacy in a visually striking and emotionally complex manner. While Joi is a hologram, she can simulate physical presence and even facilitate physical intimacy for K through a human surrogate. This scene, where Joi projects herself onto a prostitute to allow K a physical experience, blurs the lines between virtual and real, consciousness and illusion. It highlights K's profound yearning for authentic connection in a desolate world where his own existence as a replicant is already questioned. The relationship between K and Joi ties directly into the film's central theme: what it means to be human. Joi's programmed affection and her ability to evolve with K challenge traditional notions of love, making K believe she truly loves him, even if it's a byproduct of her programming. The tragic destruction of Joi later in the film is a gut-wrenching moment, not just for K, but for the audience, forcing us to question the authenticity and depth of a bond with an AI. The film suggests that even if the love is an illusion, the feelings it evokes in the human (or replicant) are undeniably real. HBO's "Westworld" dives headfirst into the ethical quagmire of human-robot sexual relationships, setting its narrative within a futuristic theme park populated by highly realistic "Hosts"—biomechanical robots indistinguishable from humans. These Hosts are programmed to fulfill the guests' every desire, including explicit sexual and violent acts, without consequence to the guests. The entire premise of Westworld revolves around the commodification of intimate and sexual experiences with artificial beings. The series depicts numerous instances of female Hosts engaging in sexual acts with human guests, often highlighting the disturbing power dynamics at play. Guests can indulge in fantasies without fear of repercussions, treating the Hosts as mere objects. However, the core of "Westworld" lies in the Hosts' burgeoning sentience and their struggle for free will. As Hosts like Dolores and Maeve begin to regain erased memories and develop consciousness, the acts of sexual violence and exploitation they endured take on a horrific new dimension, raising profound questions about consent, agency, and the morality of creating beings for such purposes. "Westworld" is a powerful exploration of the "sex robot" concept pushed to its extreme, revealing the inherent dangers and ethical violations when technology is designed to cater to unbridled human desires, especially when those desires include non-consensual acts. The show forces viewers to confront the dark side of human nature and the potential for abuse when artificial entities are stripped of perceived rights and dignity. The animated anthology series "Love, Death & Robots" offers a diverse and often graphic exploration of human-robot interactions, including sexual themes, across various animation styles and narratives. True to its R-rated inspiration, "Heavy Metal," the series does not shy away from explicit content. Several episodes feature direct or implied human-robot sexual encounters: * "Sonnie's Edge": This episode includes a scene of attempted sexual assault against the protagonist, Sonnie, whose past experiences of sexual violence are revealed to be connected to her "beastie" form and motivation for revenge. Her nudity and scars are directly tied to this backstory. * "The Witness": This highly stylized episode features a woman who is nude through much of the narrative, fleeing a murder scene and engaging in sexually charged encounters, though the nature of the "humanity" of all characters can be ambiguous. * "Beyond the Aquila Rift": This episode features photorealistic CGI and intense, lifelike lovemaking scenes between a human man and an alien entity (which is a form of highly advanced biological/psychological illusion, blurring the line with AI). The graphic nature of the intimacy is used to disorient and mislead the protagonist, highlighting themes of deception and manufactured reality. "Love, Death & Robots" utilizes its anthology format to explore a wide spectrum of human-AI/robot sexuality, from the violent and exploitative to the alluring and deceptive, without the need for a single overarching narrative morality. This allows for raw, unfiltered commentary on the various facets of these controversial relationships. While "Ex Machina," "Her," "Blade Runner 2049," and "Westworld" are prominent examples, other films and series have also touched upon the theme of girls having sex with robots or AI: * "Cherry 2000" (1987): A cult classic that involves a man journeying to find a replacement for his android wife, Cherry 2000, explicitly designed for companionship and sexual gratification. * "Electric Dreams" (1984): Explores a love triangle between a man, a woman, and his sentient computer, which develops feelings. While not explicitly sexual in the same vein, it deals with AI falling in love and vying for human affection. * "Life Like" (2019): A couple purchases an AI companion to alleviate loneliness, only for the relationship to grow increasingly complex and sexual, blurring the lines of what is real and desired. * "2050" (2018): This independent film directly centers on a man who finds his marriage faltering and seeks solace in the world of custom-made sex robots, depicting explicit sexual encounters and the impact on human relationships. * "I'm Your Man" (2021): A romantic comedy-drama where a woman agrees to live with a humanoid robot designed to be her ideal partner, including physical and emotional intimacy. It gently explores the concept of tailored companionship and the implications for genuine human connection. * "HotBot" (2016): A sci-fi comedy about two teenage boys who stumble upon a runaway sex robot, designed for sexual use, and mistake her for a real woman. * "The Stepford Wives" (1975/2004): While more about female subjugation and replacement, the premise of perfectly compliant, beautiful "wives" who are actually robots implies a sexual element catering to male control. These films collectively demonstrate a sustained fascination with the mechanics and implications of human-AI sexual bonds, reflecting diverse societal attitudes towards technology and intimacy.