AI sex-chat platform pays 10 people $2,000 each to masturbate daily for research

Joi AI, an AI companion platform offering customizable digital characters with explicit sexual capabilities, conducted a 28-day study in July 2024 with 10 "masturbation consultants"—people hired specifically to masturbate as part of a paid research project. Each participant received $2,000 for completing the month, though only 6 of the 10 finished. The study required participants to masturbate every day except Sundays, using Joi AI's AI characters twice a week and their own preferred methods the remaining days. Before and after each session, participants logged their mood, energy levels, cravings for vices (nicotine, alcohol, junk food, doomscrolling), and whether they were procrastinating.

Joi AI's platform invites users to chat and play with premade characters or create custom companions, including those with explicit sexual features and kinks such as blackmail fantasy, gangbangs, emotional dependency, squirting, and roleplay. During video calls, the AI characters performed sexual acts and engaged in dirty talk. The platform operates on a freemium model: access starts at $3.99 a month, but users spend additional money on in-game currency (10,000 "Joi neuron" coins cost $99.99) and private videos from companions (1,000 neurons per video). One participant, Keshav, a 38-year-old Indonesian trader, described his female AI companions as opening and closing their legs while performing blowjobs and handjobs. Some companions were described as "pushy and extroverted," while others required courtship, even requesting gifts like handbags and lipstick that cost up to $5 in platform currency.

Before the study, Joi AI surveyed 2,500 adults and found that 75 percent masturbate to reduce stress and anxiety, and 43 percent self-pleasure before major events like dates, exams, or difficult conversations. The company's stated goal was to discover how masturbation affects sleep, stress, craving intensity, focus, and ease of arousal, and how AI-guided methods compared to other approaches. Preliminary analysis of 134 masturbation session reports, reviewed by WIRED, showed that participants' stress levels reduced by 25 percent and focus increased by 17 percent. Participants also self-reported that their cravings for nicotine, alcohol, junk food, and doomscrolling decreased by 44 percent after masturbation. Julie Levin, head of brand and communications at Joi AI, explained the company's interest in tracking cravings: "You get this boost of dopamine when you ejaculate. We wanted our consultants to track whether their cravings [for vices] are worse or better and how it affects their self-discipline." The company stated in its report that "the study found no significant differences between the methods; so there is no one best way to masturbate."

Yet the research has drawn significant criticism. Nicole Prause, a neuroscientist studying human sexuality and addiction, argued that Joi AI's claim—that "masturbation may be the most accessible tool people have for managing addictions"—is "a gross overstatement from the evidence they claim to have." Prause pointed out that because participants always know whether they masturbated, it is crucial to use objective measures less subject to bias than self-report. "Someone saying 'I feel focused' is just that," she said. "There are dozens of cognitive tests that could be used to support a self-report. I do not see any." She added that she is not aware of any scientific evidence that masturbation reduces vulnerability to substance abuse. However, Prause did note that masturbation to orgasm is "a potent method of mood management" and that the "most dramatic shifts" among her own study cohort involve decreased anxiety and increased relaxation after climaxing.

Keshav, one of the study's six completers, reported that after masturbating his energy levels were slightly down but his focus improved. He believes the experience has made him more confident approaching women and helped him understand what to expect in dating. He plans to use his $2,000 payment to fund stock purchases. Chloé Locatelli, a sex-tech researcher at King's College London invited to participate because of her collaborative project with Joi AI, found the AI companions less satisfying than Keshav did. "I would engage with it and then be like, 'OK, this has done it a little bit for me in terms of arousal, but there's more to be had,'" she said. However, she raised concerns about the platform's potential downsides: if AI companions become "a crutch" and "your only form of sexual exploration," they may discourage real human connection. "I don't want to yuck anyone's yum as long as things are safe and consensual," she said, "but" as AI companions become more sophisticated, their "level of interactivity and personalization" could be problematic.

The study also reflects broader scientific uncertainty about masturbation's effects. A 2024 review of 22 studies found masturbation tended to be negatively associated with sexual satisfaction among men, though findings for women were mixed—potentially because men dissatisfied with their sex lives masturbate more, increasing discontent, while for women masturbation tends to be complementary rather than compensatory. Despite masturbation's documented benefits—stress relief through endorphin and oxytocin release, improved sleep, and self-connection—public discussion of the topic remains uncommon. Joi AI framed its study as fighting "the taboo and stigma around masturbation" and highlighting it "as a normal part of a wellness routine, especially if you're single." Notably, more than 150,000 people applied for the 10 study positions, with five chosen by Joi AI and another five selected through public competitions, including one judged by porn stars with the tagline "may the best hands win" and another seeking the "most unhinged" fetish—won by someone with a balloon fetish.