Constanze Erhard

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About

Constanze Erhard is a critical scholar whose work interrogates the intersections of technology, intimacy, and labor, with a particular focus on the sociotechnical imaginaries surrounding AI and robotics. Her research primarily explores the gendered and economic dimensions of emerging technologies, most notably through her incisive analysis of AI-equipped sexbots. In her highly cited 2022 paper, "Emotional (Tech) Support: Sexualised Care Work and Robotic Sexualities," Erhard challenges the narrative of sexbots as "perfect companions," instead framing them as sites of sexualised care work. She critically examines the structural position of these technologies, revealing how they embed specific, often reductive, concepts of sexuality, intimacy, and care. By drawing parallels to human care labor, Erhard’s work makes a significant contribution to feminist technology studies and the ethics of human-robot interaction. Her scholarship is notable for its rigorous theoretical grounding and its provocation to rethink the political economy of desire in an age of automation. Though her citation count is currently modest, her work is foundational for researchers exploring the darker, more complex social implications of robotic companionship.