are about the depiction of male, female, and LGBT characters there are, whether in video games, robotics, or animation. This topic often comes up in the context of sexism in video games. For example, the word "android" comes from the Greek word Adam (Greek "anthropos"), which means a man.

One of the first to try to correct this injustice was the writer and feminist Gwyneth Jones. In 1985, Jones proposed the greek word “Gynoid” (meaning woman,) for female-robots in the novel Divine Fortitude (Divine Power).

Computer games, robotics, animated films stand out among other offences in that their fictional characters often reproduce grotesque gender stereotypes about men and women.

Robots have no gender - they are made of metal, plastic and silicon, full of ones and zeros. Gender is a complex mixture of biology that robots don't have, and how we view that biology, is not a problem at all for robots. Yet at the same time, we have imposed these gender stigmas and infiltrated the world of robotics.

Tech companies often choose gender-based technologies, believing that people will be more comfortable using them. Unfortunately, this reinforces the binary image of gender and perpetuates the stereotypes that many continue to fight hard against.

For non-binary people, their lives offline can be filled with fear of stigma, discrimination or punishment. The technological world despite its limitations and toxicity, has become a place of self-expression, experimentation, and research.

As society continues to break down the concept of gender by recognising those who do not identify as male or female, technology and the digitisation of the world must also break down gender stereotypes. After all, technology and digitalisation have become a dominant part of our reality, and it will only continue to grow.

Historically, robots in art have served as a reflection of how we see ourselves.

Most likely, when we get the opportunity to create them, this trend will not change. What will be the androids of the distant future? Depends on how our society will change by then. Maybe they will become a tool for asserting diversity, maybe will become a means of strengthening conservative views and traditional ideas about the norm.

Eric’s notes - think about how genders are inclusive, why we’re creating a digital world that isn’t inclusive and how we should change the future to better represent all walks of life.