Oli Lipski
YouPorn has launched its very own ‘virtual influencer’, called Jedy Vales. Though not the first CGI ambassador (see Lil Miquela and KFC’s Colonel Sanders), it does claim to be the first x-rated digital influencer that can be interacted with in a sexual way.
Charlie Hughes, Vice President of YouPorn says “Jedy is the quintessential representation of the technological innovations we are known for, and so she is the perfect spokesperson to represent YouPorn.” The project is the result of a partnership with Camasutra Industries,
For more “SFW” brand awareness, Vales has her own social media accounts – Instagram and Twitter – through which she communicates on behalf of the LA-based porn site owned by MindGeek. “I am on a contract basis with YouPorn and am feeling very happy to be the go-to girl for all things YP!”
Scroll down a few pages on Jedy Vales’ Twitter and you’ll discover the account was previously owned by a “real life” YouPorn influencer under the alias of @youporngirl.
After unveiling its digital VR pornstars at AVN last year, Camasutra Industries helped create the YouPorn avatar with game software development programme Unreal Engine, motion capture, photogrammetry, and machine learning, for real-time interaction. CEO of Camasutra Industries, Adam Sutra, says “she marks the beginning of the next revolution in erotic entertainment.”
In an interview with Paper Magazine, Vales “herself”, says that after she reaches one million followers she will upload her first explicit video onto her ModelHub account – there’s a single video there currently, which costs $10 and is Vales without clothing.
The first generation of content won’t be real-time interactive, but the creation of VR adult entertainers such as Vales opens doors for more immersive VR porn.
Of course, there are a bunch of other VR experiences already available, including games.
Regarding concerns of where virtual adult stars may encourage unrealistic standards for women, Vales remarks that she thinks virtual influencers are merely mirroring where we are as a society.
“I was created based on physical characteristics and traits most sought after by YouPorn users. What I can say is, YouPorn prides itself on making sure users feel safe and welcome to enjoy whatever sexual content they like, and they’ve done this in the past by banning hate-speech, revenge porn, and eliminating PII [Personally Identifiable Information.”
– Jedy Vales, YouPorn’s virtual spokesperson
Whatever the technical prowess (or lack thereof) powering Vales, she’s doing a solid job of YouPorn brand promotion.
What it also means, however, is that performers in the adult industry have yet another threat to revenue looming over their future – if a neural network can ‘create’ and choose the name and appearance of a digitally created model that people are willing to pay to watch, it won’t be the end of the experiment.
Read More: Pinxy Adult Theme Park brings mainstream VR porn to South Korea
