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Estd 4.22.2023
Cinema has long weaved stories about human<>robot love. From Ridley Scott's neon-soaked "Blade Runner," where Deckard navigates authentic desire and algorithmic seduction with replicant Rachael, to Spike Jonze's "Her," which predicted a romance with AI companions years before ChatGPT slid into our DMs. But now the tech is changing rapidly and so are human desires.
What once seemed like science fiction is becoming economic reality: humanoid robots that cost $250,000 just last year are now being produced for as little as $16,000. A Goldman Sachs 2024 report mentions that costs have plummeted 40% annually—double their expected decline—while industry leaders like Tesla and Figure AI are targeting consumer prices of $20,000-$30,000. With prices expected to drop below $10,000 by 2026, we decided to survey the general US population to understand their willingess to pay in 2025 and understand their comfort level with going to the extent of forming relationships with their robots.
What once seemed like science fiction is becoming economic reality: humanoid robots that cost $250,000 just last year are now being produced for as little as $16,000. A Goldman Sachs 2024 report mentions that costs have plummeted 40% annually—double their expected decline—while industry leaders like Tesla and Figure AI are targeting consumer prices of $20,000-$30,000. With prices expected to drop below $10,000 by 2026, we decided to survey the general US population to understand their willingess to pay in 2025 and understand their comfort level with going to the extent of forming relationships with their robots.