The $2,500 answer to Amazon's Echo could make Japan's sex crisis worse

[Puremallace]

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/gateb...rtner-would-12

"The reason why we [developed] Gatebox is not because we are just pursuing entertainment or convenience. We want the characters [to] be naturally in our daily lives and spend relaxing [times] with us. 'I want to live with my favorite character.' We dreamed of such [a] world and we started this project."

So this is a pretty interesting article with click bait for a headline but I cannot be the only one thinking this would be pretty cool!

[Deleted]

Strange opening paragraph there: Japan has a major sex problem because of negative population growth? Welcome to the 21st century and what has been going on in Western/Southern Europe for years. It's not a sex problem, it's about an aging population and better support for seniors, it's about couples deciding to have fewer kids or start having kids later in life due to financial struggles.

It's not about people no longer fucking around. It's much more about life expectancy improvements and the impact of economic factors on fertility rates.

Same for Russia that had a decade of population decline at the beginning of the 21st century before seeing improvements.

[Daethz]

I have a solution, Know how we give benefits to families in America for having children? Dependents on taxes, etc.
Japan can implement a reverse tax benefit, if you do not have a child by the age of 40 or so, give it a healthy ten or fifteen years before the average women goes into menopause to give them time to have a child.
Add in a tax penalty for not having children, this would make the tax benefit from having children seem even better without actually increasing it at all.
that would work in america, not sure about japans tax system.

Every stable couple should have two children, to replace themselves at the very least.

[Powerogue]

Women are going to have to step up their game.

* within the year the male version is released *

.....crap.

[Spriggs]

Strange opening paragraph there: Japan has a major sex problem because of negative population growth? Welcome to the 21st century and what has been going on in Western/Southern Europe for years. It's not a sex problem, it's about an aging population and better support for seniors, it's about couples deciding to have fewer kids or start having kids later in life due to financial struggles.

It's not about people no longer fucking around. It's much more about life expectancy improvements and the impact of economic factors on fertility rates.

Same for Russia that had a decade of population decline at the beginning of the 21st century before seeing improvements.

It's also a problem of Japan's strict laws on immigration, which has been able to offset the declining populations in more open countries.

[Kaganfindel]

Have you looked around lately? A decline in the human population isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, the survival of all life on the planet (including us) might depend on it.

[Knolan]

Women are going to have to step up their game.

* within the year the male version is released *

.....crap.

I believe she won't be able to get pregnant and raise a child with one of those, but I won't bet on it, since you know... japanese technology...

[Nihilist74]

If only we could get the Muslims and Christians to go along with having less children as well.

[Knolan]

There's no guarantee an actual man would change that. Tons of people have fertility issues.

To be fair it is 0% chance vs a very high chance, since the vast majority of people do not have fertility issues.

[Damajin]

If only we could get the Muslims and Christians to go along with having less children as well.

Too bad for you that isn't going to happen, the secularists are the ones facing extinction in the not too distant future.

[Ilir]

I have a solution, Know how we give benefits to families in America for having children? Dependents on taxes, etc.
Japan can implement a reverse tax benefit, if you do not have a child by the age of 40 or so, give it a healthy ten or fifteen years before the average women goes into menopause to give them time to have a child.
Add in a tax penalty for not having children, this would make the tax benefit from having children seem even better without actually increasing it at all.
that would work in america, not sure about japans tax system.

Every stable couple should have two children, to replace themselves at the very least.

That's very stupid... we might end up with more people spouting shit like you just did.

[Deleted]

This is the saddest thing I've ever seen.

[-aiko-]

That is pretty awesome technology but uh...I dunno. Going so far as to text you and be a "companion" is a bit sad. I wonder if you can disable certain features.

[Phookah]

Have you looked around lately? A decline in the human population isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, the survival of all life on the planet (including us) might depend on it.

Always hear this parroted by people who think overpopulation is a thing to worry about.

It's not, btw. The world population has been slowing for more than a decade, and even the worst estimates have it slowing even more for the next decade or two again. Meanwhile, our ability to sustain more people gets better and better.

Lots of actual things to be scared about, "overpopulation" isn't one of them.

OT: Japan gonna japan.

[Shadowmelded]

Waifu's in a bottle. What a time to be alive.

[Deleted]

Have you looked around lately? A decline in the human population isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, the survival of all life on the planet (including us) might depend on it.

While somewhat true, it poses more immediate problems, namely who is going to pay for rising pension costs and increasing social security/healthcare expenditure? Who is going to solve the shortage of workers assuming artificial intelligence, the internet of things and robotics don't usher in the 4th industrial revolution?

At least with current political commitments in civilised countries, there's going to be an important economical issue to manage as the dependency ratio in most highly developed countries is increasing.

We run into that issue a lot faster than the other issue of overpopulation, and most countries simply don't have a structural answer and only really get into increasing the retirement age and increasing taxes.
Our Belgian government is starting to understand that it's also about promoting active economical participation of 65+ year olds, but still hasn't got a good enough plan to work on the other structural solution: immigration.

An American system of private health care/pensions is one I don't believe in simply because it drives inequality.

These waifu bottles don't solve shit though.

[Revik]

This is pretty cool and I have to admit this would be preferrable to the Amazon Echo we have. I am not sure about all the intrusive texts it gives you but I suppose that is a setting that can turn on and off.

Though I'd kind of prefer a more surly companion that reluctantly does what I say because I am God.

You know something that might be cool is if the companion was into bondage and then depict one those uncompromising poses and you say, "whip yourself 10 times". I can totally see that and doing this would be that hard at this point.

[Deleted]

It's also a problem of Japan's strict laws on immigration, which has been able to offset the declining populations in more open countries.

Good point, immigration rules are a key variable in this story and part of what I consider the most fundamental solution to this entire issue: increasing net migration and having a plan in place to enable immigrants in society and activate them in the workplace.

[mizeri]

what if the text's you are getting is actually from a real person, you just think its that machine. you are actually getting texts and interaction from some dude in india

[Kraenen]

If you've seen the metros/trains, and the apartments they live in, it's probably for the best there's less Japanese people. This obsession with increasing populations to max out GDP is asinine and getting ridiculous.