More than 150,000 people have signed up to masturbate using artificial intelligence. And here’s why

When the AI ​​companion company Joi announced it in May Pay people $2000 To test the AI-guided masturbation feature, I expected interest. However, she did not expect the campaign to go viral, attracting more than 150,000 applications.

Instead, the flood of applications forced the company to quickly develop and publish a formal selection process explaining how participants were selected.

“Yes, it’s been crazy,” said Julie Levin, head of brand and communications at Joi AI. “First of all, we didn’t expect to receive this many applicants, and we didn’t think ahead of time that we would need to set up this application process to begin with.” Decryption. “We wanted 10 people because we wanted to have a diverse group of different genders, different ages, different preferences, so we could get statistics from many different people.”

Joi AI is a virtual companion and NSFW role-playing platformer, and it’s not the only one playing in this space either. Joi is part of a growing market for web-based companion AI platforms that includes Candy AI and SpicyChat AI, which app intelligence platform Appfigures noted operates outside of traditional mobile app stores. Even without these platforms, Appfigures estimates that NSFW and AI romance apps available through the Apple App Store and Google Play have generated $427 million in consumer spending since 2022.

According to Levin, applicants for the masturbation consultant position come from all over the world, with the largest groups coming from the United States and Nigeria. While most of the applicants were men in their 20s, Levine said women also applied in large numbers. The applications also included some unexpected CVs, from professional bartender to former sex worker and skilled worker, with each arguing that they were uniquely “qualified” for the role.

The company, which launched in 2023 and rebranded from Eden by Eva AI in 2025, takes its name from Joi, the AI ​​companion character in “Blade Runner 2049However, Levin explained that any resemblance to the adult industry acronym “JOI,” which is short for “Jokes Instructions,” was coincidental.

In the month-long study that began July 1, participants will complete three daily surveys to measure changes in stress, mood, loneliness, sleep, self-esteem, screen time, cravings, and other health indicators before and after using Joi AI’s daily guided masturbation feature. They will also evaluate the experience and suggest improvements to the platform. The study will continue until July.

According to Levine, the $2,000 compensates the 10 participants for the time and commitment required to complete daily surveys rather than monetizing masturbation, adding that the results will help determine whether the project will expand into a larger study.

For participants, the study provided more than just a paycheck. In the comments submitted to Decryption By Joey One participant, with the pseudonym Tango Mike, said his curiosity about the role of AI in intimacy attracted him to the study.

“I was primarily curious about how AI would change the way people experience intimacy and communication,” Tango Mike said. “The compensation certainly made the opportunity more attractive, but what really interested me was contributing to a project exploring the relationship between artificial intelligence, emotional well-being and human behavior.”

Another participant, Keshav, said the unusual nature of this opportunity immediately caught his attention.

“Basically, this was kind of a unique job offering, especially around something routine or a hobby that is done on a daily basis,” Keshav said. “Furthermore, getting paid to do this kind of thing that would normally be considered a taboo subject was also unexpected.”

Keshav said he had never used an AI-powered adult companion before, and was intrigued by the opportunity to explore new forms of AI-guided intimacy, hoping the experience would help him build trust in real-life relationships.

“I am the type of person who is not very expressive when talking to women in person, which is why I was single for quite some time,” Keshav added. “Using an AI companion will also give me the confidence to explore how to flirt with women using technology. At least with AI, there will be no judgment on my personal personality, which will also indirectly help enhance my personality in the future.”

Despite the viral nature of the post, Keshav and Tango Mike’s comments reflect why Levin believes so many people came forward.

“We are suffering from a loneliness epidemic, and we are feeling more and more lonely, especially with social media,” she said. “But surprisingly, AI companionship actually helps reduce feelings of loneliness, and unlike social media, AI companions help people feel supported and feel heard, and I think more and more people are struggling to find someone to talk to.”

Levin said many people initially discovered Joi AI because of its adult content but continued the conversation. She said this pattern is consistent with the company’s research on “AI people” — people who form romantic or sexual relationships with AI companions. Researchers have described the broader phenomenon as “Intersex‘, while online communities have also adopted labels including ‘AIsexual’ and ‘wiresexual’.

“We conducted a study on what we call ‘AI sexuality,’ and we refer to these people as AI people, that is, people who are interested in having relationships with AI,” she said. “Many don’t identify with this label because it’s not widely known, but they still tick all the boxes of AI sexuality.”

Levine said some users often hide their AI companions from their significant others because they feel embarrassed or use chatbots to explore sexual fantasies they don’t feel comfortable discussing.

In May, A He studies Researchers at Brigham Young University, the Family Studies Institute, and the Wheatley Institute found that 69% of young people who regularly use AI hide it from their partners. However, Levin said many Joi AI users eventually shift from requesting candid photos to spending more time talking with their AI companions.

Ultimately, Levine said, the study is designed to examine whether masturbation can be part of a healthy wellness routine while encouraging a more open conversation about the topic.

“The idea is that masturbation is a healthy part of a person’s wellness routine, especially if the person is single and does not have sex regularly,” she said. “The goal was to try to find patterns and prove that masturbation is not something we should hide or be ashamed to talk about – it’s completely okay.”