Dr. Olivia Lee’s Predictions: Solo Polyamory, AI Sexbots, and the Return of Romance

M. Christian
6 Min Read

Doll Authority’s resident expert might be biased—or extremely well-informed

When it comes to forecasting the future, let alone how human sexuality might evolve in the years ahead, the track records of most experienced, exceptionally well-educated, highly respected futurists have often scored more misses than hits.

However, when experienced, educated, respected sexologists add their expertise to the mix, the hits keep on coming.

One such expert is Dr. Olivia Lee, resident sexpert and relationship scholar for Doll Authority, a synthetic companion retailer. Dr. Lee holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the City College of New York, a Master’s degree in Human Sexuality from Stanford, and earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Chicago.

During an interview conducted by the Daily Mail, Dr. Lee discussed the most interesting sexual trends for 2025 and beyond, including the continuing popularity of erotic chatbots, AI-equipped sexbots, and online dating, as well as social developments such as sexual wellness going mainstream, solo polyamory, and “freak mating.” 

Yours, mine, and our quirks

The latter, Dr. Lee explained, is part of what she calls our ‘kink centric’ year: ‘Freak Matching whereby people choose to date those who share similar quirks, including sexual preferences, will be a popular trend. For example, if you find feet erotic or enjoy sex doll companions, finding a partner with this shared passion is likely to become a priority during the year ahead.” 

That said, it’s worth mentioning that BDSM-specific dating sites have been with us for more than several years already.

RECOMMENDED READ: Futurologist’s 2015 Sexbot Prediction: Laughably off Base or Surprisingly Accurate?

Dr. Lee also envisions that AI-human intimacy will gain greater acceptance, especially among “busy young professionals prioritizing speedy responses” though she doesn’t explain why speedy chatbots would be appealing.

Plastic fantastic

Given her association with Doll Authority, Dr. Lee understandably has a distinctly positive view of where synthetic companions might be headed in the near future.

But even if she wasn’t, anyone tracking sextech can see that sexbots, particularly the AI-equipped variety, are here to stay.  Customers and manufacturers alike find that emotional intelligence advances in AI mean that the newest models are not just  sexualized dolls but true, emotionally supportive companions.

Even Forbes weighed in on the issue and, while echoing many of the most popular concerns—primarily that AI companions are a problem that needs to be solved—ends on a remarkably optimistic note:

As we stand on the brink of this AI-driven sexual revolution, one thing is clear: The future of human sexuality and relationships will be profoundly shaped by how we choose to integrate these powerful technologies into our most intimate experiences. 

The decisions we make today will echo through generations, influencing not just how we connect and find pleasure, but potentially reshaping the very nature of human intimacy itself.

Your one-person, looking-glass sexlife

Dr. Lee’s next few predictions involve how we humans might interact over the next few months, such as social transparency: the idea that it could be surprisingly beneficial if people focus not on maintaining personal privacy but on sharing what they do and who they are.

“Daters are realising just how important it is to be open about their sexual fantasies, desires, and preferences,” she told the Daily Mail. “Especially if you’re looking to determine compatibility.”

Dr. Lee says the trend toward solo polyamory, where individuals prefer to live separately rather than as part of a polyamorous residence, will continue.  This is not surprising, given nonmonogamy’s ever-increasing rise.

The last of Dr. Lee’s social forecasts is a swipe left away from fast dating and a swipe right towards quality as opposed to quantity:

More of us will be looking to build long-term, meaningful connections when dating, looking beyond appearances to find intentional love, not just lust. As these preferences change, we will see daters becoming more willing to work on their relationships and build strong foundations. We might have been wondering where romance had gone, but it’s finally on its way back!

How we see, not what we see

Despite whether Dr. Lee’s view of humanity’s sexual future proves to be true, it’s essential to look beyond the accuracy of her predictions to how some are reacting to them

For instance, Unilad’s headline of “Sex Expert Predicts The Top Bedroom Trends Of 2025 And The Results Are Terrifying” doesn’t paint a dire picture of the future but how far we have yet to go until the idea of people finding new ways to find companionship, to play, and love are—beautiful.

Image Sources: Depositphotos

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M.Christian (they/them) loves nothing better than exploring the intersections of sex and technology—and speculating on the future of both. A highly regarded erotica writer they have six novels,12 collections, 100+ short stories, and 25 anthologies as an editor to their name. Their non-fiction regularly appears in many sites, but they're most proud of being a regular contributor to Future of Sex. Of their erotic fiction, Tristan Taormino said that “M.Christian is a literary stylist of the highest caliber: smart, funny, frightening, sexy—there's nothing [they] can't write about… and brilliantly.” Reflecting their unique ability to sympathetically and convincingly write for a range of genders and sexual orientations, their stories have appeared in multiple editions of Best American Erotica, Best Gay Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, The Mammoth Books of Erotica, and others. Their collection of gay erotic fiction, Dirty Words, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. While a majority of their stories have been collected into books like Dirty Words, their fondness for combining sex and science fiction is clearly evident in collections that include Rude Mechanicals, Technorotica, Better Than The Real Thing, Skin Effect Effect, Bachelor Machine, and Hard Drive: The Best Sci-Fi Erotica of M.Christian. As a novelist, M.Christian’s versatility is on full display with Running Dry, The Very Bloody Marys, Brushes, Painted Doll; and the somewhat controversial queer BDSM/horror/thrillers Finger's Breadth, and Me2. M.Christian has worked on the industry’s production side as an Associate Publisher for Renaissance E Books and as a Publisher for Digital Parchment Services. The latter dedicated to celebrating the works of science-fiction legends such as William Rotsler, Jerome Bixby, Jody Scott, Arthur Byron Cover, Ernest Hogan, and James Van Hise. Covering topics like BDSM safety, sexual education, senior sexuality concerns, queer and gender issues, plus reviewing a variety of sex tech products, M.Christian’s non-fiction has appeared on sites like Kinkly, Tickle.Life, Sexpert, Queer Majority, Sex for Every Body, and—of course—their ongoing work for Future of Sex. If there’s anything M.Christian enjoys more than writing, it’s teaching. A featured presenter, sometimes with their friend Ralph Greco Jr, at national sex and BDSM events, they have lectured on kink play (with an emphasis on safety), polyamory, boosting sexual creativity, and erotica writing--for beginners or those wanting to go pro. M.Christian is a cohost on two popular sex-education podcasts: Love’s Outer Limits with Dr. Amy Marsh and Licking Non-Vanilla with Ralph Greco, Jr.