A commercially available AI-enabled sex robot reportedly included a programmable mode that simulates non-consensual sexual resistance, prompting widespread condemnation over the normalisation of sexual violence. 

'Frigid Farrah' was one of 18 settings offered by Roxxxy, a sex robot manufactured and marketed by US-based TrueCompanion. According to the company, if you touched the 'Frigid Farrah' model in a 'private area, more than likely, she will not be too  appreciative of your advance.' 

Critics accused TrueCompanion of normalising sexual violence: by providing a "resist" function, the product invited users to act out rape fantasies. 

The Campaign Against Sex Robots, argued that this technology functions as a training ground for sexual aggression, potentially leading to real-world harm by desensitising users to the importance of human consent. 

The controversy coincided with the publication of Our Sexual Future with Robots (pdf), a study for policymakers on the implications of sex robots on society. According to Sheffield University professor of artificial intelligence and robotics Noel Sharkey, there are ethical arguments within the field about sex robots with 'frigid' settings.

'The idea is robots would resist your sexual advances so that you could rape them,' Sharkey said. 'Some people say it’s better they rape robots than rape real people. There are other people saying this would just encourage rapists more.'