Among the rows of vibrators, rubber torsos and leather harnesses at a Chinese sex toys exhibition in Shanghai this weekend, the beginnings of an AI-driven shift in the industry quietly pulsed.
China manufactures around 70 percent of the world’s sex toys, most of it the “hardware” on display at the fair — whether that be technicolour tentacled dildos or hyper-realistic personalised silicone dolls.
But smart toys have been rising in popularity for some time. Many major European and American brands already offer tech-enhanced products that can enable long-distance love, monitor well-being and even bring people one step closer to an ultimate sci-fi fantasy — sex with robots.
Integrating artificial intelligence has become more popular in the…
