It's often seen as a taboo subject, but one scientist is finally lifting the lid on our sex lives - and what 2025 has in store for them. Dr Olivia Lee, the Relationship Scholar in Residence at Doll Authority, has revealed the seven sex trends set to encapsulate the year ahead. Speaking to MailOnline, she said: 'From fashion to travel, many of us are eagerly anticipating the trends that may – whether we realise it or not – influence our choices throughout the year. 'However, it doesn't end there; several exciting and unexpected sex trends are also on the horizon, and it looks like 2025 is going to be very kinky.' Several of Dr Lee's predictions are based on the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) - including AI sexting, and AI-enhanced sex dolls.

Ryan and Randy met at a sex party in 2019 and started dating shortly after. By month four, they made the relationship official, eventually moved into a two-story house in Los Angeles together, and did all the things happy couples do: date nights, vacation with friends, support one another's ambitions. Then, in 2022, they decided to open the relationship. As Covid-19 restrictions loosened, "we were being exposed to other attractions and to other people who were seeking our attention," Ryan says. "We both knew we had attractions to other people. It was, let's talk about being open and see what that means for us. Because being open can mean different things to different people."

Every year, we reach new heights in dating technology, as apps, platforms, and gadgets become more deeply entangled in our relationships. No doubt, dating in 2017 will not be materially different from what it was like in 2016--a year tends not to make a lot of difference--but we can certainly glean a picture of what sex and love will look like in the not-so-distant future and beyond. In a way, pop culture is already showing us. One of the most acclaimed TV dramas of the year, HBO's Westworld, is set in an enormous Dionysian amusement park in which humans indulge their sexual and emotional fantasies with lifelike robots. We're not there yet, but this past April, a Hong Kong designer unveiled his very own humanoid robot that looked remarkably similar to actress Scarlett Johansson.