This is how artificial intelligence entered the world of porn

A few weeks ago we told you about Stable Diffusion, artificial intelligence a text-to-image image developed by Stability AI, published earlier this year. Of course, the Internet was very quick to use it to create porn. so and technology.

The Reddit and 4chan communities have used an artificial intelligence system to create realistic anime-style images of nude characters, mostly women. And while Reddit quickly shut down many of the AI ​​porn subreddits, other forums filled the void.

To date, the largest is Unstable Diffusion, whose operators are building a business on artificial intelligence systems designed to create high-quality porn. patreon server, created to support its work and finance it, collects over $2,500 per month.

Not surprisingly, some AI ethicists are concerned. While the use of AI to create porn is not new, Unstable Diffusion models are able to generate examples with higher fidelity than most.

According to ethicists, generated porn can have negative consequences for futureespecially for marginalized groups, including adult performers and performers who make a living creating porn to satisfy the fantasies of clients (in movie or in a photo).

Impact of robot-generated porn

There is a fertile market for adult artists who make their living from painting, painting and photography. But if someone can create exactly the images they want to see with AI, what will happen to the artists?

Not necessarily an immediate threat. The FurAffinity community of furry artists has decided to ban AI-generated art entirely, as has Newgrounds, which hosts mature art behind a content filter.

When asked one of the largest adult content hosts, OnlyFans have left open the possibility that AI art will be allowed on their platform in one form or another. Despite a strict deepfake policy, OnlyFans says it allows content, including AI-generated content, as long as the person featured in the content is a verified creator.

The source material behind these AIs may also reinforce the preconceptions that already exist in mainstream erotica, i.e. heterosexual sex between white people is the norm for this technology (artificial intelligence).

The Challenge of Professionalizing AI Porn Art

Unstable Diffusion was born in August, around the same time that the Stable Diffusion model was released. At first it was a subreddit, but over time it was moved to Discord. which now has about 50,000 members.

At first, Unstable Diffusion was intended only for the exchange of pornography created by an AI bot. However, it wasn’t long before several server administrators began exploring ways to create their own artificial intelligence systems to create pornography on top of existing open source tools.

The creators of Unstable Diffusion will launch a Kickstarter campaign and will seek venture capital funding. “We plan to create our own models, improve and combine them for specialized use cases, which we will turn into new brands and products.“, they explain.

The group has a lot of work ahead of them. Of all the issues that Unstable Diffusion faces, moderation is perhaps the most pressing and most important. Recent history is replete with spectacular failures in adult content moderation.

In 2020, MindGeek, the parent company of Pornhub, lost support from major payment processors after it was discovered that the site was distributing child porn and sex trafficking videos.

Will the same fate befall Unstable Diffusion? It’s still not clear. But due to political opinion against it in the United States and other European countries that want stricter content controls on AI systems, the group does not appear to be on solid ground.