Over 150,000 People Signed Up to Masturbate With AI. Here’s Why

When the AI companion company Joi announced in May that it would pay people $2,000 to test an AI-guided masturbation feature, it expected attention. It didn’t, however, expect the campaign to go viral, drawing more than 150,000 applications.

Instead, the flood of applications forced the company to quickly develop and publish a formal selection process explaining how participants would be chosen.

“Yeah, it was crazy. First of all, we didn’t expect to receive that many applicants, and we didn’t think beforehand that we would need to have this application process set up initially,” Julie Levin, Head of Brand and Communications at Joi AI, told Decrypt. “We wanted 10 people because we wanted to have a diverse group of different genders, different ages, with different preferences, so that we could receive stats from many different people.”

Joi AI is a virtual companion and NSFW role-play platform—and it isn’t the only one playing in this field either. Joi is part of a growing market of web-based AI companion platforms that includes Candy AI and SpicyChat AI, which app intelligence platform Appfigures noted operate outside traditional mobile app stores. Even without those platforms, Appfigures estimates NSFW and romantic AI companion apps available through Apple’s App Store and Google Play have generated $427 million in consumer spending since 2022.

According to Levin, applicants for the “masturbation consultant” role came from around the world, with the largest groups coming from the United States and Nigeria. While most of the applicants were men in their 20s, Levin said women also applied in significant numbers. The applications also included some unexpected résumés, from a professional sommelier to a former sex worker and handyman, each arguing they were uniquely “qualified” for the role.

The company, which launched in 2023 and rebranded from Eden by Eva AI in 2025, takes its name from Joi, the AI companion character in “Blade Runner 2049.” However, Levin clarified that any similarity to the adult-industry acronym “JOI,” short for “jerk off instruction,” was coincidental.

In the month-long study that began on July 1, participants will complete three daily surveys measuring changes in stress, mood, loneliness, sleep, self-esteem, screen time, cravings, and other wellness indicators before and after using Joi AI’s Daily Guided Masturbation feature. They’ll also evaluate the experience and suggest improvements to the platform. The study will run through July.

According to Levin, the $2,000 payment compensates the 10 participants for the time and commitment required to complete daily surveys rather than monetizing masturbation, adding that the results will help determine whether the project expands into a larger study.

For the participants, the study offered more than a paycheck. In comments provided to Decrypt by Joi, one participant, going by the pseudonym Tango Mike, said curiosity about AI’s role in intimacy drew him to the study.

“I was primarily curious about how AI is changing the way people experience intimacy and connection,” Tango Mike said. “The compensation certainly made the opportunity more attractive, but what really interested me was contributing to a project exploring the relationship between AI, emotional well-being, and human behavior.”

Another participant, going by Keshav, said the unusual nature of the opportunity immediately caught his attention.

“Basically, it was a kind of unique job being offered, especially on something that is a routine or a hobby that is conducted on a daily basis,” Keshav said. “Furthermore, to be paid on doing this kind of stuff that is usually considered as a taboo subject was also unexpected.”

Keshav said he had never used an adult AI companion before and was intrigued by the opportunity to explore new forms of AI-guided intimacy, hoping the experience would help him build confidence in real-life relationships.

“I am the kind of person who is not very expressive in speaking to women personally, hence why I have been single for quite some time,” Keshav added. “Using an AI companion will also give me the confidence to explore how to flirt with women using the technology. At least using AI, there will be no judgment on my personal character, which indirectly will also help to enhance my personality going forward.”

Despite the viral nature of the posting, Keshav and Tango Mike’s comments reflect why Levin believes so many people applied.

“We’re in a loneliness epidemic—we’re getting more and more lonely, especially with social media,” she said. “But surprisingly, AI companionship actually helps reduce loneliness, and unlike social media, AI companions help people feel supported and feel heard, and I think many, many people struggle to find someone to talk to.”

Levin said many people initially discover Joi AI because of its adult content but stay for the conversation. She said the pattern aligns with the company’s research into “AIsexuals”—people who form romantic or sexual relationships with AI companions. Researchers have described the broader phenomenon as “digisexuality,” while online communities have also adopted labels including “AIsexual” and “wiresexual.”

“We did a study on what we call ‘AI sexuality,’ we refer to these people as AI‑sexuals, people interested in relationships with AI,” she said. “Many don’t identify with that label because it’s not widely known, but they still tick all the boxes of AI sexuality.”

Levin said some users often hide their AI companions from their significant others because they feel embarrassed or are using the chatbots to explore sexual fantasies they aren’t comfortable discussing.

In May, a study by researchers at Brigham Young University, the Institute for Family Studies, and the Wheatley Institute found that 69% of young adults who regularly use AI romantic companions hide it from their partners. However, Levin said many Joi AI users eventually shift from requesting explicit images to spending more time talking with their AI companions.

In the end, Levin said, the study is designed to examine whether masturbation can be part of a healthy wellness routine while encouraging a more open conversation about the topic.

“The idea is that masturbation is a healthy part of a person’s wellness routine, especially if someone is single and doesn’t have regular sex,” she said. “The point was to try to find patterns and prove that masturbation is not something we should be hiding or shy about talking about — it’s totally fine.”