Technology is one of our best friends in the online adult space, but is it about to become one of our worst enemies?
From high-quality webcams to interactive toys, tech has helped cam models create immersive experiences, build global audiences, and scale incomes like never before. But with the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, many creators are starting to wonder: are we on the verge of being replaced?
And if that is a real risk, how soon might we see it take shape?
You don’t need us to remind you: AI-generated content is evolving at an astonishing pace. Hyper-realistic avatars, deepfake technology, and AI-powered chatbots are already making waves in the industry.
“Use them or lose to them” goes the new saying.
How worried should we be?
The Very Real Risks of AI In the Adult Camming Space
AI is a woefully double-edged sword.
On one side, it offers efficiencies for cammers who want to streamline the business/administration side of their career.
On the other, it threatens the authentic human connection that sustains our businesses.
The adult industry has always been an early tech adopter. So, it’s no surprise that we’re seeing an increasing number of camming sites touting their AI-centric provisions. But are they considering the risks to their IRL, human creators? Do they even know what these risks may be?
Maybe not, but we’ll discuss the five most pressing (as of late 2024) right here.
#1 Deepfakes
Deepfake photographs or videos involve superimposing somebody’s face, without their consent, onto another person’s body to make it appear as though that person is performing the depicted act. Typically used for pornographic videos, the final product can be incredibly damaging for the model whose face has been unwittingly plastered over somebody else’s performance.
The true damage of such images was seen back in 2017 when revenge-filled exes put their previous partners’ faces on erotic content and maliciously spread it. Later, applications like “DeepNude” allowed individuals to remove people’s clothing with AI — without consent. Both received pretty immediate (and thankfully, widespread) backlash, but since its virality decrease, the technology has landed in the arms of the camming world.
Platforms such as OnlyFans and popular live cam show websites have a relatively large population of users using AI filters to pretend to be pixel-perfect attractive women.
Why?
Because attractive women gain more subscribers, and more subscribers means more money.
They care very little about the impact on real, passionate creators that (mercifully) still remain on these sites. Instead, they’re jumping on the tech bandwagon to falsify themselves to bag spend-happy watchers.
But it isn’t all doom and gloom.
Even with the AI of today’s sophistication, the filters utilized by these individuals aren’t as convincing as they’d like them to be. While you see the odd realistic iteration, the majority aren’t as responsive as real people. Therefore, customers are not as likely to waste their precious dollars on these deepfake accounts.
Can we be sure the technology won’t rapidly evolve to become more convincing to the naked eye?
That’s a bet we wouldn’t want to take…
#2 AI-Generated Images and Short Videos
Granted, there are many AI image-generation tools that do not allow pornographic or explicit images. Yet, there are plenty of other tools that do — and some are even purpose-built.
Once upon a time, the technology couldn’t generate a realistic-esque face let alone a body, but it’s very different today. It does all that with ease, crafting models of women for masturbators to ogle that look more or less like the real thing. Many tools get the hands right, too.
That’s not to say there still isn’t “work to be done” for these images to pass the realism test:
While these AI images aren’t necessarily a direct threat on the camming industry, anyone with a smartphone is just a text prompt away from generating whatever raunchy picture their heart desires. And that has ramifications for the entire porn industry — no more requesting personalized snaps from real cammers.
The same can be said for videos.
The technology isn’t good enough to create feature-length erotic films, but short AI-generated clips aren’t hard to come by. Tech giants aren’t using artificial intelligence for this reason. However, it’s a prime use case for Redditors, X users, and general cam site goers.
All they have to do is input a text prompt and they’re watching personally generated content in seconds. It’s the speed and accessibility that risk the camming industry.
Regardless of how responsive they are, real models cannot create personalized content with computer-level speed. They have to receive the message, agree to it, get ready, film it, edit it (potentially), and send it — a process that could take hours, if not days. And that’s just too long for many in today’s world.
Although, it’s worth noting that these programmatically generated videos aren’t perfect, and they don’t allow everything through their text filter. For instance, individuals seeking fetish content may not be satisfied with the vanilla nature of most AI-powered video generation tools. As such, they’ll stick with the human cammers they know and love, even if it takes them longer and costs them more to receive a personalized video.
#3 Satisfying Physical Needs in Ways Humans Can’t
Once the technology is good enough, some industry pros believe people won’t ever masturbate to anything else. It’s thought that generative, personalized AI will become so incredibly good at adapting to biofeedback that human creators — and even human imagination — won’t be able to compete with it. After all, videos will be hyper-personalized and real-time — very similar to the human camming experience we have today.
Granted, we are a (relatively) long way off from this, but it’s essential to consider this very possible future. People are already masturbating to virtual reality pornography; it isn’t too much of a stretch to imagine a world where it changes in real-time according to the user’s wants and desires.
In a slightly different vein, AI could create live, real-time videos of sexual interactions between humans and other beings such as fictional characters or aliens. Regardless of how good cammers’ cosplay is, their fans are still aware that they aren’t truly the character they portray.
As such, part of the fantasy — whether they consciously consider this or not — is broken. Artificial intelligence can rectify that, effortlessly depicting ethereal creatures.
#4 Closing the Reward Circuit
Fans already receive personalized content, but as already touched upon, it isn’t generated or recommended in real-time. There’s an undeniable delay that people raised in technological times aren’t necessarily happy about.
But speed isn’t the only issue here — reliability also comes into play.
When finding cammers to watch, sites recommend performers based on those the user already follows or liked before. However, there is no guaranteeing they’ll like the recommendations. In other words, the satisfaction is uncertain, and the reward circuit is open.
Future AI will close the circuit. Providing hyper-personalized videos through the recognition and analysis of certain biomarkers makes satisfaction certain, creating a closed reward circuit that real performers can’t keep up with.
#5 AI Chatbots
Last but not least, AI chatbots that mimic human creators are causing havoc in the industry — and will likely continue. Such bots are trained on huge amounts of publicly available content to emulate certain mannerisms and personality traits so fans can chat with the recreation of their favorite models 24/7.
For some creators, it has enhanced their offerings. For others, it’s eroding the trust and connection with their audience.
But what happens when these AI-powered chatbots come with a realistic, strikingly beautiful face and an even hotter body? Enter the world of fully formed AI cam girls. Yep, they already exist — although they certainly aren’t ready to take over the camming industry. Yet.
The World of Customizable “AI Girlfriends”
If you envision live webcams set in front of imaginary women with perfect forms and realistic movements brought into being by artificial intelligence, there’s no need to panic; the technology isn’t there yet. But even so, the AI camgirl setup is very much alive.
As of late 2024, these AI camgirls (otherwise dubbed AI girlfriends) are offered by well-known cam sites, such as CamSoda, and are nothing more than AI chatbots hidden behind a few (sometimes nude) photographs and limited biographies.
Real camgirls are certainly winning at the moment, but the risk lies in the customization aspect of these digital “girlfriends.” Unlike the real deal, users can craft AI camgirls that perfectly match their aesthetic ideals and then speak to them like they would their favorite cammers.
Current offerings are a far cry from the immersion granted with real live webcam shows, but the tech world is moving fast, so we’ll likely see more advanced AI camgirls in the (not so distant) future.
The question is…
Will There Always Be Room for Humans In the Camming World?
Ultimately, this remains to be seen, but we can’t see uniquely human interactions being replaced by machiens anytime soon.
SensualJade, a cam model, says it best, “No amount of technology will fulfill the need from another person. Ever. Even though we do this virtually, we are still live and human.”
And this sentiment appears to be shared by other cammers and viewers alike.
AI may simulate, but it will never be able to fully replace the wonderful unpredictability of humans and our connections with each other.
…Or will it?
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