"A Chinese tech company is building a humanoid robot that can get pregnant and give birth. It has a synthetic uterus, fake amniotic fluid, and a plastic umbilical cord. The goal is to grow a baby inside it—from embryo to delivery. No human body required."
#AshleyFike, 2025
https://www.vice.com/en/article/robot-with-artificial-womb-could-give-birth-to-humans-by-next-year/
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@strypey Good grief. The world is already overpopulated!
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@Iveyline
> The world is already overpopulated!
This is a controversial take, which I'll address in a second post. Putting aside any issues created by overall human population growth though ...
China - like many postindustrial countries - is facing an imminent demographic collapse, which is driving a highly pro-natalist policy environment. They finished phased out the one-child policy in 2015, and have been looking for ways to encourage families to have more children ever since.
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I tend to agree that the current human population is at risk of overshooting the carrying capacity of Earth's biosphere. We need to at least stabilise the human population, if not reduce it.
That said, a more just and efficient distribution of Earth's resources would alleviate many of the ills that are blamed on overpopulation. Especially in the Global South.
@strypey The current global population is already exceeding the world's carrying capacity by using up resources at 175% of the rate they are being replaced (Check out World Overshoot Day). Clearly if we are using them up faster than they are being replaced the day will come when the planet is unable to sustain the current population medium to long term. Water is just one resource which is under real stress globally. Biodiversity is another. Clean breathable air in some cities is another. Soil degradation and desertification are growing problems. Deforestation too. There are numerous other resources under stress. All these are well documented. If humans are to survive long term they are going to need to make some major changes in their lifestyles.
@Iveyline
> If humans are to survive long term they are going to need to make some major changes in their lifestyles
This is the coalface of the contemporary population debate. Could we sustain the current human population if its stops growing, and those in the Global North using the most resources per capita transition to more sustainable practices across the board. Not just lifestyles, but more importantly, land use, manufacturing practices, etc.
@strypey I guess the challenge is would those in the wealthy countries be willing to give up 75% or more of what they currently consume so that there is more equity for the world's 8+ billion people? I personally don't think that would ever happen as humans are inherently selfish. Just look at Bezos, Musk, Trump, Zuckerberg, Putin and so many othe billionaires. Many want even more, not less. The ideal is wonderful. The reality a mission impossible.
"Dr. Zhang Qifeng, CEO of Kaiwa Technology, told Kuai Ke Zhi (via Chosun Biz) that his team is close to finishing the prototype. The robot, called GEAIR, is expected to hit the market within a year, with a price tag of 100,000 yuan (around $14,000). It’s not meant to assist human pregnancy. It’s meant to replace it."
#AshleyFike, 2025
https://www.vice.com/en/article/robot-with-artificial-womb-could-give-birth-to-humans-by-next-year/
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@strypey the effects of not having a moving, beating mother, the sounds of the culture while in the womb might be one thing..
But the idea that they might cut away the parents and make a completely synthetic culture is completely terrifying.
@jasper
> the idea that they might cut away the parents and make a completely synthetic culture is completely terrifying
This is literally the core premise of Brave New World *shudder*
