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Science | Geography | Design & Technology | Citizenship | Computing | PSHE | Relationships and health

How technology is shaping the future of love

Will machines help us make strong relationships? “The course of true love never did run smooth,” wrote Shakespeare — before AI and virtual reality. Here are five big changes facing dating… 1/ Relationships with robots. You may think that humans falling for robots only happens in movies. In Her the lovelorn Theodore Twombly becomes smitten with a female-voiced computer. And the hero of Blade Runner 2049 has a hologram for a girlfriend. But art could soon imitate life. In Japan a generation of young people already choose virtual partners over humans. And AI expert David Levy claims that humans will marry robots “sooner” than 2050. 2/ Virtual dating. Young people already date less than their parents. A study found that 56% of 14-18 year olds went on dates in 2015. For Generation X the figure was 85%. Psychologist Jean Twenge claims that smart phones have caused teenagers to spend more time “communicating electronically”. By 2050, virtual reality could allow singletons to go on dates without leaving their homes. 3/ The death of monogamy. Love is often equated with the search for “the one”. This could soon become a quest for two, three, or four, or more. With gay marriage legal in America and the UK, some campaigners argue that polygamy should also be allowed. Academic and activist Meg-John Barker claims: “The idea that monogamy is ‘natural’ or ‘normal’ in humans is hard to sustain.” 4/ Wearable love gurus. Imagine you are walking down the street when someone catches your eye. Your heart flutters. And as you look closer, augmented reality contact lenses project the beautiful stranger's name and suggested conversation topics before your very eyes. The seeds of this technology exist now. The app Yac ranks people around you based on hobbies and mutual friends, while Samsung is making computerised contact lenses. 5/ DNA matchmaking. Dating is all about “chemistry”. And love could get a lot more scientific. A study suggests that genes play a key role in attraction. And advancing technology could make genome sequencing available to all for as little as $100. In the future, people could simply upload their genomes to dating websites and receive suggested matches based on DNA. But will technology help us create stronger relationships? Love machines “Robots will bring us together,” say some. A lot of people think they are unlucky in love, but advances in DNA matches and machines will help them to find the perfect person (or people). And the idea that humans can create machines with enough intelligence and emotion to prompt love should be celebrated. “Machines will drive us apart,” others respond. Love at its deepest is mysterious, complex, and human. No matter how sophisticated we make robots and matchmaking programmes, nothing will change that. In fact, relying on technology too much will kill those real human connections upon which love is built. KeywordsGeneration X - The demographic cohort in between Baby Boomers and Millennials. It includes people born between 1965 and 1980.

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