The Hidden Cost of AI-Generated Pornography
Recent reports about X's AI chatbot, Grok, have sparked public outrage. Users have been asking the platform to create sexualized images of celebrities, non-public figures, and even minors. This violation rightly draws attention to the victims, who suffer reputational damage and psychological distress. Most of this content targets women, causing significant harm.
But there is another kind of damage that often gets overlooked in these discussions. We need to examine what this technology does to the people who create these images. This is not about generating sympathy for bad actors. Instead, highlighting the self-inflicted costs could serve as a much-needed deterrent.
From Spectator to Producer
For years, concerns about pornography's ubiquity have focused on how easy access might negatively influence sexual behavior and erode relationship bonds. The emergence of tools like Grok should heighten those worries significantly.
Traditional pornography maintains a certain distance. It typically involves consenting adult strangers performing sexual fantasies for spectators. AI-generated pornographic deepfakes drastically narrow that distance. Suddenly, the viewer becomes the producer. Images can turn a coworker, a barista, or a date into an explicit simulation. This blurs the line between fantasy and real sexual partners.
In this process, what should be a respectful, reciprocal pursuit gets replaced with a private shortcut that requires no consent. Throughout history, human biological wiring for sex has driven the emotional work of connecting with others. This includes learning to communicate, tolerating uncertainty and fear from vulnerability, and negotiating needs with another person. These skills require effort and mastery, but the prospect of sexual and romantic connection has always been a powerful motivator.
The Psychological Toll on Users
When someone can generate an AI image of a person exactly how they want, doing exactly what they want without consent, it encourages bypassing those essential building blocks. Users essentially get the "reward" while skipping the work necessary for forming lasting offline relationships. Click by click, they train themselves to prefer the controllable over the real.
As a psychologist specializing in romantic relationships, I have observed this becoming a hard-to-notice cycle until it becomes entrenched. In my practice, I see more patients, mostly men, who express dissatisfaction with their dating lives. They often don't recognize their porn consumption as the culprit. These men can perform sexually but struggle with emotional connection. They want partnership, but the negotiation and compromise of opening up in early dating feels exhausting.
So they turn to interactive porn like webcam sites and live-streamed content. Without really noticing, their use increases insidiously. They aren't consciously choosing to avoid dating; in fact, they say they want a relationship. Over time, this more interactive porn becomes a central feature of their lives. Sometimes they come in worried about that habit. More often, I have to point out that their porn use has eroded both their ability to connect and their desire to try.
Research Backs These Observations
What I'm seeing isn't just anecdotal. Research suggests that when people move from watching porn alone to using interactive content, they become more likely to struggle with intimacy and relationships. The driving challenge is instructive: users get a feeling of connection without having to risk anything. Combined with findings about AI's effects on romantic relationships, this helps explain the societal norms that pornographic deepfakes can disrupt.
Every real relationship skill gets built through productive conflict: disappointment, compromise, and communication. These don't come from effortless, frictionless fantasy. If a person never has to face someone saying no, stumble through explaining what they want, or suffer the indignity of things going wrong, they aren't developing the capabilities needed to sustain a real relationship.
The Full Warning We Need
We are quick to tell people that nonconsensual image generation is wrong because it violates the person depicted. That message is essential, but it's only half the story. We also need to constantly tell users that they will become less able to find satisfaction with real partners and ultimately lonelier.
As AI technology rapidly changes and more impressionable young people gain access to it, getting that fuller warning out may stop someone before they ever rationalize trying something this harmful. The damage extends beyond the immediate victims to the users themselves, creating a cycle that undermines genuine human connection.
