Concern rises over AI in adult entertainment – BBC.com

Dolls are being equipped with artificial intelligence
Later this month, people in Berlin will be able to book an hour with an AI sex doll as the world’s first cyber brothel rolls out the service following a test phase.
Customers will be able to interact verbally with the AI dolls as well as physically.
“Many people feel more comfortable sharing private matters with a machine because it doesn’t judge,” says Philipp Fussenegger, founder and owner of Cybrothel.
“Previously, there was significant interest in a doll with a voice actress, where users could only hear the voice and interact with the doll. Now, there is an even greater demand for interacting with artificial intelligence.”
It's just one of many ways that generative AI is being used by the adult entertainment business.
Analysis by SplitMetrics revealed that AI companion apps reached 225 million downloads in the Google Play Store.
“I would expect more app developers to take note of this trend and look at ways this category can be further innovative and monetised,” said SplitMetrics general manager Thomas Kriebernegg.
AI companions can be lucrative, says Misha Rykov, privacy researcher with Mozilla’s Privacy Not Included guide.
“Given that most of the chatbots are charging fees, and the core technology has been developed elsewhere [such as Open AI], it looks like a high-margin business. Also, these apps collect personal data and often share it with third parties like advertisers – a tried and true business model.”
Kerry McInerney says we need to know about the data sets that sex chatbots are being trained on
But the merger of AI and the adult entertainment business has set off alarm bells.
One problem lies in the bias inherent in generative AI, which produces new content based on the data on which it has been trained.
There is a risk that retrograde gender stereotypes about sex and pleasure get encoded into sex chatbots, says Dr Kerry McInerney, senior research fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, at the University of Cambridge.
“It's crucial that we understand what kinds of data sets are used to train sex chatbots, otherwise we risk replicating ideas about sex that demean female pleasure and ignore sex that exists outside of heterosexual intercourse.”
There is also the risk of addiction says Mr Rykov, who says that AI chatbots target lonely people, notably men.
“Most of the AI chatbots we reviewed have high addictive potential and several potential harms, especially to users with mental health challenges.”
Mozilla has added content warnings to several AI chatbots “as we found themes of abuse, violence, and underage relationships,” says Mr Rykov.
Tackling water shortages with 'Star Wars' tech
Why technology has not transformed building
Electricity grids creak as AI demands soar
He also raised the issue of privacy. Partnership chatbots are designed to collect “an unprecedented amount of personal data”.
Mr Rykov adds that that 90% of apps reviewed by Mozilla “may share or sell personal data”, while more than half of the apps won’t let users delete personal data.
Others warn about the possible danger such AI could have on real-world relationships.
Tamara Hoyton, senior practice consultant at the counselling service Relate, points out: “Some difficulties may come about if real encounters are profoundly disappointing because they don't match up to the strictly defined requirements that users experience in AI porn.”
Ms Hoyton adds that, in some cases, AI porn could take users into dangerous areas.
“There is nothing wrong with a bit of fantasy, and many people get aroused by thoughts that they have absolutely no intention of acting on; AI porn might be seen like this.
“If it's crossed over into an assumption of consent for example, a sense of entitlement, or that everyone will be what turns you on, based on the user’s experience of the compliance of the AI object, then it's an issue.”
Some argue that AI could replace human sex workers
Companies using AI within the adult entertainment industry acknowledge that there is a need for caution, but maintain that AI has an important role to play.
Philipp Hamburger, head of AI at Lovehoney, says the company is aiming “to enhance the sexual experience of its customers, rather than replace it, which is an important line to draw".
Others believe AI will have a positive effect on the sector. Ruben Cruz is the co-founder of Barcelona-based The Clueless Agency, which created one of the first AI influencers, Aitana Lopez.
He points out that the sex industry will always exist, and AI can help mitigate ethical concerns by ensuring that the content is not created using real people.
“This shift aims to ensure that no person, male or female, has to be explicitly sexualized in the future.”
Michael Mosley's wife pays tribute to 'wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband' after body found
'A charismatic guru of good health': A look back at Dr Mosley's career
Gaza health ministry says Israeli hostage rescue killed 274 Palestinians
Michael Mosley: TV host's life on the front line of science
Dead in 6 hours: How Nigerian sextortion scammers targeted my son
'Spy mania': Why is Russia accusing its own physicists of treason?
Adults and teens turn to 'dumbphones' to cut screen time
Who owns the Moon? A new space race means it could be up for grabs
Toilet training and high anxiety – how schools are changing
Why has Doctor Who always been so LGBT-friendly? Russell T Davies thinks he knows
'Proud' 20,000 bikers finish Dave Myers tribute ride
Crowd-pleasers: The art of choosing the perfect setlist
The birth of a fearless, reckless Special Forces unit
Watch Steven Knight's critically acclaimed series, SAS Rogue Heroes, on BBC iPlayer
How did Tetris become an all-time favourite?
The game was created by a Russian and marketed by an American during the Cold War
Two friends caught between tradition and technology
A beautifully shot observational documentary following two Indian fishermen
Empress Dowager Cixi: From concubine to power
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the woman who dominated China's court for almost 50 years
Discovering the wonders of Uganda
A trainee is thrown in at the deep end
The Outlaws' worries aren't over yet
A realm where the ocean reigns supreme
© 2024 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.

source

About The Author

admin

See author's posts