THE ECONOMIST: How porn stars battle AI threats as adult industry tech trends shown at AVN Expo in Las Vegas

In many ways the annual AVN Expo is like any other conference. Attendees collect lanyards, pile into a brightly lit hotel and queue at coffee stations for tepid drinks. But in other ways it is very different. The dress code specifies not whether blazers and ties are required but which body parts must be concealed.

The acronyms thrown around on stage include AI, but also BDSM. The closing night involves an awards ceremony that David Foster Wallace, a writer who attended in 1998, described as the porn industry’s Oscars.

The annual gathering of the $US100billion ($141b) adult entertainment industry in Las Vegas has taken place since 1984. Since then porn has been through a series of of technological disruptions. First came the rise of the internet; then YouTube-like sites such as Pornhub; then subscription platforms like OnlyFans, which link viewers directly with performers.

As the industry has shifted away from big-budget films produced by major studios, those attending say the expo has lost some of its vim, with fewer booths, stars and fans. “It’s the incredible shrinking convention,” says Tommy Gunn, a veteran porn star.

Now AI threatens what could be porn’s biggest upheaval yet. A recent furore over Grok, a bot from Elon Musk’s xAI, being used to digitally disrobe people without their consent showed how easily the technology can be used to create smut. This year’s AVN Expo offered clues as to how the industry will adapt.

The event, held from January 21st-24th at the Virgin Hotels (yes, really), was less a bacchanal and more a tech fair. For every stand where men queued for photos with scantily clad performers, another was staffed by startups flogging new inventions.

Hesen AI, a robotics company, showed off sex dolls with medical-grade silicone skin, roving eyes and even some capacity for conversation. Beyond AI, a software startup, presented a tool that helps performers create digital replicas of themselves, which can then churn out explicit content.

Makers of adult toys demonstrated gadgets that pair with chatbots, supplementing saucy conversations with real-world action.

Much of the chatter focused on whether AI would take performers’ jobs. Some are trademarking their stage names and renegotiating contracts with studios to make sure clips of them aren’t used to train AI models without their consent.

But others are embracing the technology. Many are using it to edit videos and chat to fans online. Cherie DeVille, a performer known as “the internet’s stepmom”, is open to creating a digital double if she can find an AI company offering favourable terms. “I do believe it’s the future,” she says.

A lot will depend on whether people find AI babes hot or not. Casey Calvert, another starlet, fears she can’t compete with the bots.

“The AI girl is always horny and always available,” she points out. Even where fans want to interact with a human, online sex work has become more difficult. Roxy Renee, one more X-rated creator, says followers expect her to respond immediately to messages and deliver precisely the videos they demand, just as a bot would. One recently asked for proof she is human: a photo of her holding up three fingers and a spoon.

Porn stars have another way to distinguish themselves from their AI rivals: turn up in the flesh. Jennifer White, winner of Female Performer of the Year at the awards ceremony, spent much of her time at the conference taking selfies with fans.

She slipped away one evening to dance at Sapphire, billed as the world’s largest strip club, where a crowd of men turned up to cheer and shower her with cash. In the age of AI, up-close interactions may matter more than ever.