On pornography platform OnlyFans, prostitutes make most of their earnings by directly engaging with their “fans” through messages and conversations. A global industry has popped up of imposters paid to pretend they are the OnlyFans model to trick lonely and desperate men into opening their wallets. Now, those human “chatters” are increasingly being replaced by AI-powered chatbots.

Wired reports that the rise of AI has brought about concerns regarding its potential to replace human workers across various industries. One niche occupation that is already experiencing disruption due to AI is the role of OnlyFans chatters. These gig workers are paid to impersonate top-earning OnlyFans creators in online conversations with their fans, providing a crucial element of relationship simulation that complements the platform’s pornographic content.

Traditionally, human chatters from countries with lower wage expectations, such as the Philippines, Pakistan, and India, have been employed to manage the deluge of amorous messages received by popular OnlyFans creators. Desperate men think they are talking to an OnlyFans prostitute when they are actually talking to a person sitting at a keyboard on the other side of the world. However, AI-generated stand-ins are increasingly replacing these human chatters, with several startups now offering access to AI chatbots and other generative AI tools tailored for this purpose.

Kunal Anand, the founder of ChatPersona, an AI OnlyFans chatting service, states that his company has built its own model using data from creators’ chats to meet the growing demand for AI chatters. Since its launch last year, ChatPersona has attracted around 6,000 customers, including both individuals and agencies. Anand claims that ChatPersona does not violate OnlyFans’ terms of service, as it requires human intervention to send the AI-generated messages.

The field of AI chatbots for OnlyFans is becoming increasingly crowded, with competitors like FlirtFlow, ChatterCharms, and Botly vying for market share. Supercreator, another player in the space, offers a suite of AI tools, including an assistant called Inbox Copilot that algorithmically sorts fans based on their spending habits, prioritizing “spenders” over “freeloaders.”

Eden, a former OnlyFans creator who now runs a boutique agency called Heiss Talent, is an enthusiastic adopter of AI technology. She represents five creators who all use Supercreator’s AI tools, resulting in a significant increase in sales. One of the features automatically sends messages to inactive fans when they log in, which has led to substantial tips from conversations initiated by AI.

While some AI chatter tools are fully automated, Eden prefers a mixed approach, with creators combining their own words with AI-generated content to maintain authenticity. This raises questions about the transparency of AI use in online interactions and whether companies should disclose when conversations are being handled by chatbots.

Read more at Wired here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.