AI models are increasingly appearing on adult-content platforms like OnlyFans and Fanvue, sometimes incorporating stolen images. Additionally, courses are being sold for up to $220, teaching people how to create their own profitable AI adult creators. Does AI pose a threat to human adult content creators?And are subscribers aware they're interacting with AI? Last winter, there were stories about AI potentially replacing humans as online influencers. These articles highlighted that some new Instagram influencers had garnered large followings and even brand deals, but these influencers were actually AI. Some AI influencers, like Lil Miquela, serve as artistic commentary or offer conceptual intrigue. However, upon investigating an AI influencer reported to have landed brand deals, a different story surfaced. A leading AI influencer had a Fanvue profile linked in her Instagram bio, an OnlyFans competitor. On Fanvue, she posted provocative photos, and I could access her nude images for a $7 monthly subscription. It feels odd to refer to her as "she" and "nude" since she doesn't exist—she is AI. This is where we find ourselves in 2024. The true business, it seems, has always been pornography, with Instagram and social media acting as gateways to direct traffic to Fanvue, encouraging subscriptions to view nude photos.

Once users reach these paid platforms, they find more AI-generated content. 404 Media, a tech news site, recently explored this burgeoning "AI Pimping" industry, revealing numerous AI-driven accounts on OnlyFans and Fanvue. Alarmingly, some accounts featured not entirely AI-created images but deepfakes or face swaps, where real faces were placed on AI-generated bodies. Simultaneously, there is an economy where people sell guides and courses on starting AI model businesses. One such course costs $220 and teaches how to earn with AI adult influencers. A Fanvue spokesperson informed Business Insider that the platform prohibits using images that steal someone's identity. Fanvue uses third-party moderation alongside human moderators and acknowledges "deepfakes as an industry challenge. " OnlyFans' terms of service ban models from using AI chatbots, allowing AI content only if users are aware it is AI and only if it features the verified creator, not others. The existence of AI adult content raises issues beyond stolen images. While some liken AI creators’ work to cartoon pornography, real-life adult creators express concerns about AI's impact on their business. Some creators find AI tools helpful, such as AI chatbots for fan interactions, but also worry about diminishing fans’ trust. It's unclear whether fans of AI accounts realize these "characters" are AI. Comments on clearly AI-generated profiles suggest many believe they are human. On Fanvue, an AI-generated woman sometimes shares anime versions of herself. In response to one such post, a paying user expressed a desire to see the outfit on the "real" woman, seemingly unaware that neither version is real.