In a impactful new feature by The Washington Post, Steve Lightspeed, a seasoned entrepreneur in the adult entertainment industry, is cast into the spotlight for his innovative use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.  Lightspeed’s journey from pioneering the “solo girl” website model in the early days of the adult internet to now leading the charge for AI porn is a compelling story that encapsulates the transformative potential of AI technologies.

According to Lightspeed, whose flagship website is porn.ai, the impact of the Washington Post’s profile has so far been significant.

“We’ve had record sales every day since the article came out,” Lightspeed told YNOT. “The comments range from anti-porn crusaders bemoaning the proliferation of adult content, to people applauding the effort and acknowledging that porn often drives advancements of technology.”

Lightspeed, who ventured into the adult industry in 1999, quickly became a significant figure by establishing a collection of more than 30 popular adult sites, most focused on a single model. The rise of free content platforms like Pornhub, however, challenged his business, leading to a temporary pivot away from adult entertainment entirely. It wasn’t until the advent of AI technologies, such as ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion, that Lightspeed rekindled his passion and saw an opportunity to innovate within his former industry.

The Washington Post story reported that Lightspeed and a business partner have so far invested $550,000 into adult AI. With that initial investment they acquired key web domains and set out to create consumer-friendly AI porn engines. Despite facing initial obstacles due to restrictions on “not safe for work” content by major AI models, Lightspeed and his team developed an image engine trained on a vast collection of pornographic images. This engine enables users to generate personalized AI-generated images of “dream girls,” fulfilling fantasies without depicting real individuals.

According to the Post, Lightspeed’s platform has attracted a user base of 500,000, with many opting for paid accounts to exceed the limit of five free images per day. Describing the site as an “artists’ community,” Lightspeed emphasized the safe exploration of sexuality and fantasies, devoid of the ethical and safety concerns present in traditional adult entertainment.

“This article, as well as it was done, missed a few keys points,” Lightspeed told YNOT. “During our interviews, I specifically said that AI is missing human heart and compassion, and because of that, I expect AI porn and traditional porn will simply co-exist.”

With aspirations to introduce AI-generated video and interactive content, Lightspeed envisions a future where AI “cam girls” offer personalized experiences to users. Will fans really choose AI “girls” over real cam models? Lightspeed told YNOT it comes down to guilt-free control for some users.

“The appeal of AI porn for most is not to view what some other person has created, but to have the ability to privately create exactly what they like, for themselves, without feeling like they are contributing to the societal problems of porn production in general,” Lightspeed told YNOT. “That ability has never existed before in the world of adult entertainment.”