This week OpenAI made an announcement that may one day be viewed as a pivotal moment of the 21st century: finally, a robot that kinda sounds like it wants to fuck.
GPT-4o has been making waves on the internet ever since it dropped, with many (everyone) comparing it to Samantha from the 2013 Spike Jonze masterpiece, Her. In the film, a lonely writer (Joaquin Phoenix) falls in love with his AI assistant, Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson).
Back then, the whole thing was very much science fiction. Now, with GPT-4o, Her is a reality.
GPT-4o is just the beginning. The age of truly conversational, human-sounding AI is here — and the implications are massive. Now, everyone can have a doting digital companion in their pocket, just a screen away.
But what about the people who currently make a buck by providing a sense of companionship through a screen? Will advanced AI eventually take the jobs of OnlyFans content creators? Or is there something about being a human that just cannot be replaced, no matter how convincing AI becomes?
We spoke to a few OnlyFans content creators to find out how they’re feeling in the wake of this huge week in AI, and if they’re scared of their clients running off to Her.
Sharna Beckman
“AI technology is becoming crazy, not only does it make such realistic content, it could potentially destroy the OnlyFans industry. As an OF creator myself, I definitely find myself worried with the new GPT-4o coming out that my clients could move on and find that it’s easy and free just to talk to a computer to fulfil their needs.
I’ve actually had my content stolen, and they used AI to create another model’s face on my body. These AI characters look so real, it’s weird! I have to look extremely closely to figure out if it’s a real human or not.”
Annie Knight
“I’ve been asked a few times about the effects of AI on the OnlyFans and adult world. I understand the concerns, however, I don’t see AI as a negative thing for OnlyFans creators. The platform’s success hinges on the personal connections forged between creators and their audience. Despite the availability of free adult content on sites like Pornhub, OnlyFans continues to thrive financially year after year. I would argue that AI is pretty accessible in this day and age, but OnlyFans had almost 200,000 new creator applications last month alone.
The premise of that success is that users can personally chat to their favourite creators. They know they could go chat to a bot, but they choose not to. They want to know it’s a human. They want that bit of attitude and sass. OnlyFans consumers aren’t stupid, they’re on the platform to chat to me and other creators personally. It’s the human element that sets OnlyFans apart and keeps users coming back for more.”
Katija Cortez
“AI could actually make a sex worker’s job easier. I am already hearing of OnlyFans girls using AI “sexting bots” on their OnlyFans. AI girlfriends will be the same. I don’t think our jobs are going anywhere just yet. You will have some people who will trust machines more than they trust humans, and that is totally okay. These people are probably not current consumers of sex workers.
The majority of people do still want that real human connection. I don’t think AI is going to convert someone who has a distrust or dislike of machines, it will simply allow those who like machines to embrace them further.”
Ruby Drew
“GPT-4o is very cool. But, I don’t think AI taking anyone’s jobs is a good thing. I’m not sure where the technology is headed, but I don’t think it’s going anywhere good. It’s a bit worrying that it could take some subscribers from us content creators, but I think most subscribers want a human connection and they want to talk to me specifically — not an AI.”
Quinn Everly
“I don’t think GPT-4o is going to have a significant impact on most content creators. In my experience the majority of OnlyFans subscribers these days aren’t really looking for a deep connection and conversation with a creator, they are looking to see explicit content from the creators they are fans of, which isn’t something AI can currently offer.
There is a smaller group of subscribers that want to chat and engage, but that is mostly because they want to have a personal connection with the creator they are a fan of, or they want to engage in explicit conversation. Again, I do think that most of these subscribers want to engage specifically with the creator they are a fan of — this is the core business of OnlyFans.
There is a group of people who want any connection whatsoever and content creators may lose that segment of the market to GTP-4o, but I don’t think it will have a significant impact on most of us. You can’t replace human connection.
Specific AIs that are creator-led and based on the creator they represent are becoming more popular and I do think that’s a really interesting and evolving space. I think it’s important that the creator themselves owns any AI based on them and receives the profits from it, as it is still based on their own image and personality.”
Alicia Davis
Personally, I don’t have any recent experiences where I have noticed AI ‘taking my clients’. Like every industry, I’m sure AI will come into it somewhere down the line, but my honest opinion is if someone’s happy to chat with AI on an OnlyFans page, they may as well chat to a management agency running someone’s page.
I think curiosity and intrigue might get some people with this initially, but as my fan base and subscribers want a real person connection, I just couldn’t see a drastic amount of people leaving to go chat with a ‘fake’ person. A robot isn’t really inviting to my audience as nothing beats the real deal when it comes to human connection.
