Confessions of a Recovering AI Porn Addict

A “gooner” tells WIRED he became hooked on the cartoonish nature of AI porn. Several addictions experts say the genre could pose a problem for people prone to compulsive sexual behavior.

Kyle’s interest in AI porn began last summer as he circled rock bottom. From the outside, everything seemed fine. He was in a committed relationship with his longtime girlfriend. He enjoyed the perks of his job working for a sports betting company. Still, all he could think about was fueling his porn addiction in new ways—even at the cost of feeling mentally drained and tired. “Pretty much all I wanted to do was doomscroll on my phone and watch content. And I wasn’t able to stop even though I noticed that it was a problem. I became desensitized,” he says. “I was looking for that next dose of excitement.”