According to The Economist, the porn industry has consistently served as a proving ground for emerging technologies throughout history. When Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 15th century, it was quickly used to print bawdy pamphlets. Adult films were released on video in 1977, a full year before mainstream Hollywood movies, and dominated early VHS sales. When France launched Minitel, an early internet precursor in the 1980s, erotic services accounted for between one-third and half of all traffic. This pattern repeated with 8mm cameras, cable television, and now artificial intelligence is following the same adoption curve.
History repeats itself
Here’s the thing about porn and technology – it’s always been this way. The industry moves fast because there’s massive demand and people are willing to pay. But this time feels different. AI isn’t just another distribution channel like VHS or the internet. We’re talking about creating entirely synthetic people and scenarios. That raises some pretty serious questions about consent, copyright, and what happens when you can’t tell what’s real anymore.
The ethical nightmare
Look, I’ve been covering tech long enough to see patterns. When something moves this fast, regulations and ethics always lag behind. We’re already seeing deepfake porn of celebrities and regular people who never consented. Basically, we’re building a world where anyone can be inserted into any scenario without their permission. How do we prevent this from becoming a tool for harassment and revenge? The technology is outpacing our ability to even understand the consequences.
Business model disruption
So what happens to the traditional adult industry when anyone can generate custom content with a few clicks? Performers, studios, platforms – everyone’s business model gets turned upside down. But here’s the twist: the same technology that threatens existing players also creates new opportunities. Customizable content, personalized experiences, reduced production costs. It’s a classic creative destruction scenario, but with way more ethical baggage than your average industry disruption.
Where does this actually lead?
I’m skeptical about the utopian visions some are selling. Sure, there might be some benefits – maybe safer working conditions if performers can license their likeness instead of performing. But the downsides are massive. We’re talking about normalizing completely fabricated sexual content, blurring reality in dangerous ways, and creating a flood of synthetic material that could overwhelm everything. The porn industry has always driven tech adoption, but this might be the first time the technology itself could fundamentally change human sexuality and relationships. That’s a much bigger deal than whether people buy VHS tapes or stream online.
