Adult content creators want to influence AI rules

A group of sex industry professionals and advocates sent an open letter to EU regulators on Thursday, saying their views are being left out of important discussions about overseeing artificial intelligence technology, despite being implicated in the massive rise in AI popularity.

In response to Europe’s internet rules, a group of representatives from the adult entertainment industry, including sex workers, erotic filmmakers, sex tech companies and sex educators, have called on the European Commission to include them in future negotiations on shaping AI rules, according to a letter seen by WIRED.

The group includes erotic filmmaker Erika Lust’s company, as well as the campaign group European Sex Workers’ Rights Alliance, and is signed to the Open Mind AI initiative. The group aims to alert the commission to what it describes as a “critical gap” in discussions about AI regulation. Those coordinating the campaign say the current strategy for discussions risks excluding first-hand perspectives on adult content and over-regulating an already marginalised community.

“AI is evolving every day (and) we see new developments at every turn,” said Ana Ornelas, a Berlin-based author and erotic educator who goes by the pseudonym Pimenta Cítrica and is one of the leaders of the initiative. “It’s natural that people will turn to this new technology to satisfy their fantasies.”

But deepfakes are now a serious threat to AI. Ninety-six percent of them contain unwanted “porn,” mostly of women and girls. That’s “extremely damaging” to both the targets and the performers, Ornelas says. “It’s a threat to both their human integrity and their livelihoods,” he adds. “But the way things are, adult content creators, sex workers, and educators are being hurt on both ends of the spectrum.” He says he fears that banning all adult content would wipe out legally created content with illegal material and force people to use AI models without any filters.

On August 1, the European Commission introduced what it called the world’s first comprehensive AI legislation. It aims, it says, to advance responsible use of AI across the bloc. It follows earlier EU rules on illegal and harmful activities on digital platforms. But the initiative’s organizers say regulators are failing to understand the adult industry, risking censorship, draconian measures and misunderstandings.

“We can offer policymakers the right insights to regulate in a way that protects fundamental rights, freedoms, and fosters a more sex-positive online environment,” Ornelas says. The European Commission did not immediately respond to WIRED’s request for comment.

Sex workers and porn performers have already reported censorship and discrimination related to global legislation restricting human trafficking and banks restricting their services. Members of the adult industry, including sex educators, have also had to contend with suspensions and removals from tech platforms.

“There’s a lack of awareness of how politics affects our livelihoods,” says Paulita Pappel, an adult filmmaker and organizer of the initiative. “We face discrimination, and if regulators are trying to protect people’s rights, it would be nice if they could protect everyone’s digital rights.”