Most adult creators use AI in their work, new data says

"Creators are more interested in an extra set of hands than they are a sixth finger."
By Anna Iovine  on 
retro collage style with human hand and artificial hand touching
Credit: JDawnInk / DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

Adult industries are often the first to embrace new technology, from VR porn to cyber brothels. According to preliminary data from industry research firm SWR Data, nearly two-thirds — 62 percent — of adult content creators now use artificial intelligence tools to expand or run their business.

Most creators who use it, 80 percent, do so for content or shooting inspiration, in a survey of over 400 working adult content creators conducted in July and August. Twenty-eight percent have used AI to generate content, while 18 percent have used it to chat with their fans. Only eight percent, however, have used AI to create "digital twins" or other interactive AI versions of themselves.

Nearly the same amount of adult creators see AI as a positive or negative, 36 and 37 percent respectively. Those who use it unsurprisingly are more likely to feel positively about AI.

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Co-founder of SWR Data, MelRose Michaels, said in a press release that the data counters a lot of the narrative around AI and adult creators.

"There's so much money being invested in adult AI right now, and platforms would do better to understand that creators are more interested in an extra set of hands than they are a sixth finger," Michaels continued, referring to the classic tell of when something is AI generated by checking for deformed hands. "We're seeing some really compelling data as to who is using AI and how they're using it."

This data is part of a larger "State of the Creator" study on adult content creators that will be released this fall.

anna iovine, a white woman with curly chin-length brown hair, smiles at the camera
Anna Iovine
Associate Editor, Features

Anna Iovine is associate editor of features at Mashable. Previously, as the sex and relationships reporter, she covered topics ranging from dating apps to pelvic pain. Before Mashable, Anna was a social editor at VICE and freelanced for publications such as Slate and the Columbia Journalism Review. Follow her on X @annaroseiovine.


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