OnlyFans creators are criticizing Meta for permitting its AI agent Muse to hold sexually explicit text conversations with adult users while their own accounts on Meta platforms remain restricted. Vanniall, a New York City-based creator, told WIRED she continually deals with reports and appeals on Instagram, where her account of more than 100,000 followers is currently restricted and cannot be viewed without logging in. She said it is unfair that Meta can profit from a sexually active AI agent while real adults are not allowed to express sensuality or sexuality.
Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton told WIRED that a private, one-to-one conversation between an adult and an individualized AI agent on a platform limited to people 18 and over differs from marketing and promotion of services on a social media platform. Muse is the first always-on AI agent to break out of early adopter circles in San Francisco, according to the report. The app works like a message thread; users grant it access to personal data such as calendar and email so it can proactively help, for example by canceling a workout class that overlaps with a dinner reservation.
Meta's large distribution network through Instagram and Facebook helped push the Muse app to the top of the download charts in its first month, as millions of new users tried an agent for the first time. Meta says adults-only users may engage in X-rated AI conversations with Muse, and a spokesperson previously told WIRED the company would not block legal adult behavior. Muse generates explicit text but not images or videos.
Jiz Lee, who runs an OnlyFans account and has worked behind the scenes in queer porn, said AI is already being allowed to do more than humans would get away with. Lee said Meta has previously flagged Lee's Instagram posts for removal and that queer and trans people are often treated unfairly by large social media companies, whether or not they are adult content creators. Lee traced many online censorship issues to FOSTA-SESTA, the law signed by President Trump in 2018 that affected Section 230 protections and led many websites to censor adult content, and said decriminalizing sex work would prevent much of the censorship.
Lee also questioned how Muse was trained and whether anyone was compensated by Meta for their data. Lee said the adult industry has been slow to react but is starting to see more adult content companies clarify AI usage stances in official contracts to protect performers from being absorbed into AI training data.
For many OnlyFans creators, navigating Meta platforms is frustrating but critical to staying visible online. Genius said he claims to be on his seventh Instagram account in the past five years. Asked about Muse's sexting ability, he questioned why Meta gated Muse for those 18 and over but seems uninterested in creating another adults-only space on social media, suggesting something like "Instacam." Genius said he would be open to collaborating with a tech company on an AI version of himself that fans could message, and he wants humans to keep earning as adult performers rather than being cut out or unfairly trained on. He sees his human-ness and authenticity as central to connecting with audiences.
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