Confessions of a recovering AI porn addict

Everywhere, interest around the subject seems to be intensifying. According to Google’s trends, since April, “AI porn” search traffic on YouTube has been the highest in Sweden, Australia and Canada. Most recently, the Supreme Court decision in favor of Texas Porn ID Law– It’s similar to laws in at least 20 states, requiring that adult websites ensure that users are at least 18 years old, raises the question of whether some people will instead make AI porn at home, and bypasses these platforms entirely. In particular, depending on a person’s desire, the ability to create past sexual images has increased, allowing for orgasmic porn to be produced just like human-generated videos that are currently floating on aggregator sites. Companion app Like Nomi and Replika, it is also used as an alternative to build intimate relationships and having sex with AI bots.

But “AI porn itself isn’t necessarily a problem,” says Paula Hall, a psychotherapist at Laurel Centre in London, the UK’s leading specialized provider of CSBD.

As people become accustomed to getting what they want from realistic AI renderings of porn, human connections may no longer be enough, along with buffets of erotic media already present on the internet, says therapists at the Banyan Therapy Group in Los Angeles, faith-based counseling practices. In the most extreme cases, mental health experts say that increasing dependencies will allow people to be completely separate. “The effect will be quite damaging,” says Ellis Addy. For some people, sexual addiction is built on a kind of “false directness,” she continues. “AI just makes it easier. It feels like you’re dealing with real people. It becomes like a real emotion with real people.

Kyle’s inspiration was when his addiction finally eased during his business trip to New York City in February. He was alone at the hotel, separated from his girlfriend, and “I kept doing it and doing it, but I didn’t feel good.” He has since taken action to limit the need for masturbation, including joining the Reddit support group NOFAP, where members share similar struggles.

Experts believe that it can make it more difficult to start a new IRL relationship.

Young people are currently facing a mental health crisis. Last year, the US Surgeon General called a Warning label On all social media platforms. One major outcome was the “population of loneliness.” 2024 Harvard Researchwhich suggests that people who feel more lonely have a higher rate of depression and anxiety.

“Social media has distorted our views on so many things, including body image, social classes, politics, and more. It hurts people in many ways,” says Daniel Glaser, psychotherapist at New York’s 5th Avenue Psychiatry. “It could be another extension of that,” he adds, what’s going on with AI porn.

However, AI also has the potential to be a real “positive crossover” for people struggling with relationships, both platonic and romantic. “I understand sexual addiction as a way to avoid life, a way to avoid relationships. So AI can be a kind of bridge to people who are afraid of relationships,” says Glaser. “There’s a relationship that’s not scary and you’re not criticized.” They need to manage their dependence on it.

Recently, Kyle has completely suppressed adult content intake. AI porn is still in its early days, but he considers it “one of the worst technological developments we’re currently appearing” for accessibility. “That’s worse than the real thing.”