Kate Devlin
Papers
9
Total Citations
259
H-Index
8
About
Kate Devlin is a leading academic at the forefront of research into artificial intelligence, human-robot interaction, and the social and ethical dimensions of sex and intimacy technology. Based at King's College London, she has become one of the most prominent and provocative voices exploring how humans relate to machines on deeply personal levels. Her landmark book *Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots* (2018), her most-cited work with nearly 100 citations, brought rigorous academic inquiry to the cultural, historical, and technological dimensions of sex robots, tracing their roots from ancient mythology to contemporary science fiction and real-world prototypes. Through papers such as "The Measure of a Woman" and "The Ethics of the Artificial Lover," Devlin has consistently challenged gender biases embedded in AI and robotic design, arguing for more equitable and diverse approaches to the field. Her influential 2015 piece defending sex machines against prohibition sparked significant debate about regulation and personal autonomy. More recently, her work on trustworthy autonomous systems — including the imaginative *Cat Royale* project — demonstrates her broad curiosity about how AI can operate ethically across varied contexts. Devlin's scholarship makes her an essential read for anyone grappling with technology's increasingly intimate role in human life.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Turned On98 citations · 2018
- 2Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots58 citations · 2018
- 3The Measure of a Woman29 citations · 2020
- 4In defence of sex machines: why trying to ban sex robots is wrong29 citations · 2015
- 5Love and Sex with Robots: Second International Conference, LSR 2016, London, UK, December 19-20, 2016, Revised Selected Papers15 citations · 2017
- 6Guys and Dolls12 citations · 2020
- 7
- 8Love and Sex with Robots8 citations · 2017
- 9The Ethics of the Artificial Lover2 citations · 2020