"This is a moment of great possibility and enormous peril."

The New Age of Sexism is an authoritative and incisive guide to the future of AI and misogyny. With distinct chapters covering everything from deepfakes to cyberbots and the metaverse, Bates draws a clear picture of the harms AI is and will have on vulnerable women, children, and black and brown communities.

I read Bates' Men Who Hate Women recently, and thought this was an excellent sequel, now covering how patriarchy and victim-blaming societal frameworks are bleeding into the virtual world, a Wild West of unregulated but disturbing behavior that is amplifying terrorism and assaults on women in the real world.

A must-read for anyone who uses or interacts with AI, which is unfortunately becoming all of us.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC. One solution for social media abuse is to quit joining social media businesses that allow these things to happen. Refuse to participate. Also, maybe don't have children use them at all under a certain age? I was hoping this book would address the more every day sexism instead of cyber brothels and AI girlfriends.

This was an extremely informative read. I learned a lot even though I was horrified at what I read. This book is definitely a must read for anyone concerned with AI and the future we are building.

5 stars

Are you a woman? A person of color? Queer? If your identities include any one of these or several or all of them intersectionally, you are unlikely to be surprised at all by the general motifs of this book, but since that isn't the point, every reader still has a lot to learn from Bates's findings.

To the shock of...none of the folks I already mentioned, AI is based on the same gross social norms and prejudices that we are already surrounded by when it comes to actual people. Thus, while it may in some cases start out a little better, it's primarily just as bad if not worse than our original social structures might even lead folks to expect.

Bates covers not only the well known ways in which generative AI tools hallucinate, perpetuate stereotypes, and degrade the masses. She takes this a step further by accessing areas of AI that those of us who are overtly oppressed by it may not. One chilling example? Trends in sexbots. Let's just say that none of them are positive. Maybe you remember what happened when Marina Abramovic performed with a series of different implements that folks could access and use to engage with her. People are not trying to make friends out here. They're trying to get away with the sickest most disturbing acts that most of us won't even let ourselves imagine (I'm not kink shaming here. I'm saying the bots are breaking based on the enthusiasm some people have over a "partner" who "can't say no"). BTW, if you're finding this unspecific scenario upsetting, you are not ready for big parts of this book. What happens to the dolls is awful. What happens to people? Worse.

An area that I can't assess from a lay reader's perspective is all of Bates's content on deep fakes and revenge porn. Having worked with survivors and having been actively involved in prevention and resource teams for about a dozen years, this has been on my radar for a long time. I've seen it in action, and it is absolutely as bad if not worse than depicted here. If this is sounding new to you at all and/or you do not know details of what many folks face with this, how easy it is to do, or how prevalent it is, that alone makes this book worth the read.

This is not an uplifter and there is a lot of content that many readers may find upsetting here, though the title should do enough to tip most folks off to where this is going. I absolutely suggest reading with care and your own wellbeing in mind. It's important to know that people are not just acting out their grossest proclivities with AI models of adults, of course, so you'll be going into some discussions of underage likenesses, too. Top level horrors. Those who can manage the content will find that Bates provides a lot of concerning but relevant info, and that it is all bone chiiling. It seems like what we most need is reeducation of people in tandem with some guidelines and restrictions on the use of AI tools. Minimally, this book is a way for folks to be better informed.

Disturbing and interesting look at how technology is impacting women around the world, adding fuel to keep the misogynistic and sexist fires going!

I can confidently say that this is the most terrifying things I’ve read to date (and I read project 2025 out of morbid curiosity). I mean that in a complimentary way, of course.
The level of research, the clarity of argument, and the chilling picture Bates’ paints of how technologies are being weaponised against women and marginalised groups is both devastating and necessary. Even as someone not incredibly embedded in the tech world (but mildly involved due to my generation), I found the writing very accessible and incredibly eye opening.
Due to being fairly separated from men socially, many of the topics Bates covered were new to me and while reading through the chapters I found myself thinking back to the movie Companion - the parallels between speculate horror and real life developments were disturbing.
I especially appreciated Bates insistence on reframing language, it was a powerful reminder of how our use of certain words shapes the blame and accountability, and how important it is to name the harm for what it truly is.
What makes this book particularly valuable in this conversation is that it not only says what’s happened but also why it’s dangerous, who it affects, who’s responsible, and most importantly, what can we do about it. It’s both a diagnosis and treatment plan. It’s a warning siren with a call to action.

The New Age of Sexism by Laura Bates

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Another essential and eye opening read for everyone. Laura Bates books continue to fascinate and horrify me - but I absolutely feel better being aware of what is going on.

**Misogyny is being hardwired into our future. Can we stop it?**

This book is harrowing and terrifying, but I’m SO glad I read it and you should too. I started reading this on a beach in Lisbon and it most definitely isn’t a holiday read lol - I would recommend reading a chapter at a time as many of them had me staring at a wall after in shock, but even if you think this doesn’t effect you - it most certainly does.

We like to believe we're moving closer to equality, riding the wave of technological progress into a brighter, fairer future. But beneath the glossy surface of innovation lies a chilling truth: new technologies are not just failing to solve age-old inequalities—they're deepening them.

In *The New Age of Sexism*, Laura Bates exposes how misogyny is being coded into our future. From the biases embedded in AI to the alarming rise of sex robots and the toxic dynamics of the metaverse, Bates takes readers on a shocking journey into a world where technology is weaponized against women.

This isn't a dystopian warning about what *might* happen. It's a harrowing account of what's happening *now* and the dangers we face if we don't act.

I learnt so much about things in my mind were worst case scenario of things I thought could happen - turns out they already are and they are unmonitored and widely accessible. It explores deepfakes, sex robots, AI girlfriends and so much more

Did you know that most deepfake technology doesn’t even work on men? That most AI generators are also sexist just because they are based off of already biased information on Twitter/the internet in general? That in some robot cafes you can make wild requests that are done with no questions asked….

This book is incredibly well researched, it’s interesting and I think everyone should read it. It will absolutely sit with me for a long time, and I can’t wait for the paperback edition to come out so I can add it to my Laura Bates collection .

I think people, especially my students, are so used to thinking of AI and technology as being good and useful that they haven't considered how it is actually being used already to negatively affect them. This is both well-researched and timely!

I found this one horrifyingly interesting. It was difficult to read in the sense that it triggered every fear I have for my own daughters, but written in such an engaging and accessible style that it was easy to take in, even if the digestion of the material caused me some not insignificant heartburn and anxiety!

(Content warnings: deepfake porn, sexual violence, online harassment, incel rhetoric)

This is not a light read. It is not fun. It is not comforting. But it is so, so important.

I read this over a few days and I felt physically sick more than once. The statistics, the real stories, the implications for our future—it’s terrifying. And what makes it scarier is that it’s not written dramatically or for shock value. It’s calm. It’s measured. It’s factual. Which only makes it hit harder.

This book is a deep dive into the ways AI and emerging tech are not just reflecting but reinventing misogyny—often invisibly, and often with no one held accountable. But this isn’t anti-tech. It’s not saying “shut it all down.” It’s saying we must do better. That we can do better.

If you work in tech, AI, data science, product, policy—or just exist on the internet—you need to read this. This is a wake-up call.

I genuinely believe everyone should read this when it comes out in August. Especially if you think this stuff doesn’t affect you. Because honestly? I thought I had a handle on most of it. I didn’t.

This one’s going to sit with me for a long, long time.

This was an excellent read! With how popular AI has gotten in recent years, I’ve been learning more about the different potential issues that surround it. This book is an excellent primer (and honestly a deep dive) into how AI perpetuates the innate sexism women have had to deal with since the age of the Internet began. This should be required reading, as it also covers a lot of systemic sexism women experience offline as well, that I think a lot of people (especially men) don’t fully understand. I haven’t heard of Laura Bates before, but I will definitely be keeping my eye out for her future works and looking into anything else she’s written. I highly recommend this to literally everyone! I’ll definitely be adding this to my physical library upon publication.

Thank you for the digital copy!

This isn’t the first book by this author I read and it will definitely not be the last either. As much as I’ve enjoyed every one of those books (and see value in all of them), “Men who hate women” was my absolute favourite. Because it’s hard to find books about feminism nowadays that actually talk about feminism. It might sound crazy but the majority of those books read more like self-help to me than a feminist work. I could admit some are a good read for beginners when it comes to this topic but I am far from that so it’s books that are well-researched and teach me about things I either don’t know or I don’t know everything about that I crave. Or maybe I’m not looking for those book at the right places, I don’t know.
That’s why when I saw this new book, I knew I had to read it. And the moment I got this early copy, I downloaded it and devoured it. Though this isn’t the kind of book one reads super fast. It’s a read a chapter at a time kind of book but I was so anxious to learn all this new information. And I learned a lot.

The thing about AI and technology in general is that I feel most people don’t really know that much about it. A lot of things we might hear about it sound more like a sci-fi movie/book plot to us than reality. So reading this book was eye-opening in the scariest way. I had watched the movie Ex Machina, mentioned in the book, and never felt like that was something that could happen anytime soon. Or something that anyone other than the very (very) rich could afford. It turns out I was wrong.

Something I loved about “Men who hate women” is that, as previously mentioned, it was a well-researched book. The author tried to show examples from different countries and talk about how different cultures play a big part in these topics too. It’s so often that we focus on what is around us only, which is natural too. And we only see things from the perspective of how this would affect us and not how it could affect someone from a different country, culture, religion, etc… I appreciate how the author does that job of reminding us to take that into account. It’s also so hard to keep up with what happens all over the world.

I feel like for most people, the topics of deepfakes or revenge porn are the most familiar to us. The case of what happened in Almendralejo (Spain) is one I was very aware of because that’s my home country and I follow what happens there more. And yet this book contained so much information about how AI and technology as a whole have turned this into a much bigger problem for girls and women than it already was. But I now also have that knowledge to share with others when chatting about this, since all of us can be affected by these attacks. So that’s why this book is not only informative but also can educate a lot of people. I already felt that way with “Men who hate women” but I’ll say it again. We need books like these ones as part of the required reads in high schools and universities. We always say educating men and women (but mostly men, for obvious reasons) from a young age is key when it comes to fighting the misogyny, racism or homophobia that has poisoned our society. What better way than to use a book like this one as a tool to achieve that? I really feel that way. Problem is, many teachers aren’t willing to do so.

A huge part of this book centres around AI being used to satisfy men and their sexual needs. Whether it is through virtual reality or with sex robots. This part was so hard to read and it has to be hard to read. The way we keep dehumanising women makes me lose the little faith I have in humanity. And reading how the author went through such a hard time researching these topics was heartbreaking to read. And to imagine. I tried to imagine it was me having to do that and I don’t believe I’m strong enough to do it.
Going back to how for most people this is something they don’t know about (also because those who do this hide it due to shame probably) or believe it sounds like a movie, I thought a lot about the movie Companion while reading those chapters. And it made me appreciate the movie even more because it criticises those who are willing to buy a sex robot and use this technology. The main male character uses very clear incel language, so the social commentary isn’t subtle but why should it be? It’s pretty obvious that most people need things to be spelt out for them. Subtlety won’t help.
Iris, the robot in the movie, isn’t aware that she’s a robot so she is willing to do whatever her owner tells her to do (but won’t accept being abused by anyone else). That’s basically what we can read about in this book with all of these robots and avatars that are 100% submissive because that’s how men want them to be. The main character of this movie can even control the level of intelligence the robot has and keeps it lower than 50% so she can never become smart enough to realise what’s being done to her. So I just imagined Iris whenever I was reading about all the robots and avatars the author mentioned in this book. Putting a face to the fake women made it feel even more real and therefore more painful.

Still on this topic, I appreciate that there is an acknowledgement that we have a loneliness epidemic and that we need more mental health support to be able to thrive. We lack third spaces and going through a pandemic didn’t help. Men suffer from this a lot as well and it must be mentioned. But, of course, women can’t be the ones punished for that. Because we can feel lonely too and don’t use that as an excuse to hurt men.
It’s good to read about the empathy the author has because I lack it sometimes.

Something that bothered me was the use of “politically correct” language. I refuse to call it woke language because I’m not that kind of person. I understand why it is used here but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. The author tells us she won’t sugarcoat things because we need to see reality as it is. And I agree. I read the news, I know how hard the situation is for women worldwide. I don’t need someone holding my hand while telling me about these topics. So that’s why the inclusion of expressions such as “sex worker” bothers me so much. Because when the author tells us to change “revenge porn” to “image based abuse”, I see the point. We’re taking back the concept and making it sound like what it is, which is a crime. Saying that something is revenge obviously puts the blame on the victim because what did she do to provoke that need for an act of revenge? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
However, when we call someone a “sex worker”, or in the case of Only Fans a “content creator”, we fall into the trap that men set. By calling it work, we remove the abusive aspect from the words. Even while quoting a prostitute who calls herself a prostitute, the author insists on calling her a sex worker. I agree that we need to protect these women and that’s why I fight against recent laws approved in Spain against sexual abuse or assault that basically say prostitutes cannot be raped. Those laws, unsurprisingly, were approved by those who love saying “sex workers” (not so typical in Spain to say that, people tend to just use the translation for prostitute or, sadly, slurs). Because thinking they are just regular workers normalises the abuse they suffer. It’s just a job, isn’t it? You can get hurt doing many jobs. But no…it’s not just a job, it’s not the oldest job in the world, … this way of talking only protects the men abusing women. So I can’t get behind it.
But the author is from the UK. And as someone who lives between Spain and the UK, I get it. English-speaking countries worry more about using the right words than about victims. So I know there’s no malice behind the use of those words but I just can’t read them without feeling a rejection towards what’s on the page in front of my eyes. However, I won’t let that take away from the value of the information written in this book. I just hope we get better about this as a society in the future.

Once again, I’m so happy this book exists and I’ll be recommending it to a lot of people. It’s so necessary to spread awareness about what’s going on because AI is taking over our lives. And it’s scary.

This was an absolute time of a read. I think I was lost for part of the book, but outside of that, the book was interesting to see how it truly unfolded. I was intrigued with the premise of this book and it did not let me down, it kept me intrigued start to finish.