The internet isn't a machine, it's people

If I didn't feel so under the weather, I'd probably have more comments on this article about rules for robots. As it is, I just want to respond to a quote at the end of the piece:

To critics who scoff that intelligent robots are a long way off, the roboticists easily riposte that machines can already exert surprising influence over our lives — think about the influence of the internet.

Did the roboticists forget that the internet is made of of millions of people? Yes, we turn to the internet for information, for calculations, for entertainment and for sex – but I always think of the internet as a communications platform that facilitates interaction among people, not just machines and commerce. I don't think you can compare a sex android to the internet. Perhaps to chatbot AIs that are sophisticated enough to provide a satisfying sexual experience. But still, it doesn't sit right with me.

Not that anything does, this week. Ba dum pum pum.