Androids Replacing the Dead... and the Living?

     Part of human nature is experiencing love and unfortunately, loss.  Breakups can hurt but losing someone unexpectedly through death can be devastating.  In this day and age, with the advancement of AI and androids proceeding at an exponential rate, the possibility of being able to possess android replicas of the dead looms on the horizon.  Although it's an interesting concept to consider, I fear that learning to simply "replace" our loved ones who have passed on would ultimately be unhealthy, and could even foster more dangerous addictions than the ones humanity has already formed with technology like smart phones and the internet.
     One of the first things that I thought of while watching Be Right Back is (as humorous or silly as it may seem) an episode of Futurama called Rebirth.  In the episode, Leela dies in a spaceship crash and Fry invests in a "Leela" android.  One thing leads to another, and at the end of the episode, we discover that Fry also died in the crash and is also an android. The Fry-bot and Leela-bot elope into the sunset while the original Fry and Leela are resurrected at the hands of crazy old Professor Farnsworth.

  
      In the episode, neither the Fry-bot or the Leela-bot are even aware initially that they are androids, and are both horrified to discover that they are.  It's interesting to think that one day, our AI could be so advanced that it doesn't even realize that it is, in fact, artificial intelligence.  It certainly makes one wonder just when we should start creating laws to protect the rights of these man-made human replicas, and just how quickly androids will be able to replace our dead.
     There are several other Futurama episodes that muse on a future where androids walk among humanity, including an episode that describes a future where one can download their favorite celebrity (or any human, really) to a "blank" android to befriend, date, marry, etc.  The episode highlights the dangerous addictive side-effects a future like this could entail.  Having any human being that you desire available at the click of a button to do with what you please could easily sweep aside human interest in dating and creating real friendships with other humans.  With this kind of power at the tips of humanity's fingers, why would anyone want to even venture outside of their homes?
     Unfortunately for humanity, the future of "robot-romance" is closer than one might think.  Recently, the first "Real-Doll" brothel was opened in Spain.  For those who don't know, "real dolls" are silicone based bodies (some even animatronic) designed for personal enjoyment.  Although these dolls have yet to possess AI, it's becoming more and more common for people to become addicted to them.  Take for example the movie, Lars and the Real Girl, where Ryan Gosling plays a man who has fallen in love and created a "fictional" relationship with his "real doll."  These addictions to "real dolls" are spreading and some people have even fought for the right to wed their silicone partners.

     It won't be long before these "real dolls" possess artificial intelligence and will be, for all practical purposes, reduced to sex slaves for humanity.  Once again, this does not seem like a future that would be mentally healthy for humanity, even though it could potentially lower the risk of sexually transmitted diseases.

Just how long until these seemingly "fictional" ideas become a household reality for humanity?