"Sex is Not Just Fucking; Sex is a Feeling": Sex Workers’ Insights on the Sociality of Sex and Authenticity in the Age of Robots

Introduction: Sex robots are among the most controversial innovations in the expanding sex-tech industry. While scholars have debated their social, ethical, and cultural implications, sex workers—those most directly affected by such technologies—have been largely excluded from these discussions. This study addresses that gap by exploring how sex workers perceive the current and future integration of sex robots into the commercial sex industry. Methods: Drawing on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 16 Israeli sex workers from diverse sectors of the industry, conducted between June 2024 and February 2025, this study employed grounded qualitative analysis to explore participants’ imaginaries, concerns, and strategic framings of robotic sex work. Results: Participants engaged with the idea of sex robots as a reflective lens through which to articulate the unique value of human sexual labor. Two key themes emerged: the centrality of sexual sociality, e.g., sex as a relational and communicative practice, and authenticity, expressed not as an innate trait but as a practiced and embodied capacity involving bodily aesthetics, emotional responsiveness, performative singularity, and imperfection. These capacities were framed as labor-intensive expressions of erotic capital, grounded in human subjectivity and positioned as irreplaceable in the context of robotic standardization. Conclusions: The findings challenge dominant assumptions in the “robotic sex wars” and foreground sex workers as experts on the social and emotional dimensions of commercial sex. While concerns about being replaced by robots are present, the interviews also reveal a parallel process of revalorizing human labor in contrast to robotic standardization. Policy Implications: Policymakers, designers, and researchers must engage sex workers as key stakeholders in shaping and implementing ethical, regulatory, and technological frameworks. Their inclusion throughout the design, governance, and deployment of sex robots is essential for promoting justice, accountability, and social legitimacy in intimate economies.