Key Investor Says OnlyFans Plans to Reject AI, For Now

Love it or hate it, Artificial Intelligence is here to stay. But its integration into OnlyFans, for now, isn’t happening. OnlyFans investor and founder of Architect Capital James Sagan says OnlyFans is standing pat amid the AI revolution taking the technological world by storm. 

After legendary OnlyFans CEO Leonid Radvinsky passed away last March from cancer, Architect Capital bought a 16% stake in OnlyFans valued at $535 million, giving the firm a seat at the table when it comes to the platform’s next moves. Architect's founder James Sagan envisions OnlyFans as more than just a platform with spicy content, it’s also a place for human connection, above all else.

“This is the only place on the internet where you can authentically communicate with a human. And that’s why people pay for this content,” Sagan said. Nowadays, the adult industry has been noticeably altered by AI Porn and adult creators earning money off of lifelike AI clones of themselves; it’s clear to many that Artificial Intelligence improves its ability to look more and more real each day. But Sagan argues there’s nothing more real than humans connecting with other humans. “People are not coming to OnlyFans for the quality of the content, which AI might be able to faithfully replicate, but in fact for human connection.”

Of course, OnlyFans still features plenty of explicit content, but it’s more recently becoming known for exactly what Sagan is saying here - human connection. Donna Mills, an 85 year-old actress known for her work on the soap opera Knots Landing, started an OnlyFans page to better connect with her fans. Pro wrestling legend Dawn Marie started an OnlyFans at 55. She’s not sharing any x-rated content, either, but she’s just enjoying getting to know her fans. All this proves that OnlyFans is more than just an adult site, but a place for distinguished public-facing luminaries to engage with their audience safely. It’s the access and authenticity that fans are paying for.

Some creators with high volumes of subscribers will utilize AI chatbots to help lighten the workload, but Sagan says that’s as far as AI will get on OnlyFans, at least for now. “We will never use AI in any capacity to disrupt creators,” Sagan remarked, adding, “and they’re not disruptable anyways.” The only AI useful to OnlyFans’ business model in Sagan’s point of view, is AI that “empowers” creators, though Sagan did not expound upon what this means. “In a world in which you have a lot of AI slop, in a world in which everything is AI-generated, the scarce asset is authenticity, the scarce asset is human connection, and I think that will be more and more important on a forward-looking basis.”

The importance of having humans on OnlyFans goes far beyond the “customer-facing” side of the operation. OnlyFans boasts 100% human moderation, meaning everything posted to OnlyFans from anywhere is vetted by a human being, not a robot. And, considering AI chatbots like Grok are under fire for creating CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material), Sagan calls human moderation a “structural advantage that allows [OnlyFans] to be safer.”

Sagan’s main goal through all of this is to destigmatize OnlyFans. Adult creators have been fired from their day jobs, refused service by their banks, all just because they’re on OnlyFans. Sagan says shows like Margo’s Got Money Troubles and creators he’s talked to give him great hope. “I think the more visibility creators get with respect to who they are as individuals, the more that the brand will destigmatize.” He also says Money Troubles is an honest portrayal and a story worth telling, “... More and more of [these] stories, as they’re articulated, I think people will understand why this platform is deserved and why it has a place in this ecosystem.”