AI Models on OnlyFans and Fanvue: The Virtual Women Earning Real Money, and the Rules Behind Them

In this guide

• The rise of the virtual creator
• Aitana López: the AI model with a salary
• Fanvue’s bet on AI and the Miss AI contest
• What OnlyFans allows
• What Fanvue allows
• Who is really behind AI models
• The honesty problem
• What it means for human creators
• If you are thinking of creating an AI model
• My take

A few years ago, the idea that people would pay a monthly subscription to see photos of a woman who does not exist sounded like science fiction. Today it is a business model. AI-generated models have fans, agencies, sponsorships and, in a few cases, very real income.

I make my living from real bodies, real scenes and real people. So I have a strong opinion about this. But first, let us look at the facts.

The rise of the virtual creator

AI influencers are characters created with image-generation software: consistent faces, consistent bodies, a personality and a backstory, all invented. They post on Instagram like any influencer, and some sell exclusive content on subscription platforms.

The technology improved very fast. What used to require a 3D studio can now be done by one person with a laptop. That is why the number of AI accounts exploded from 2023 onwards.

There are roughly three types of AI accounts on creator platforms: fully virtual characters who do not exist at all, AI-enhanced real creators who use software to edit or generate images of themselves, and AI personas based on a real person, built with that person’s permission. The rules are very different for each, and confusing them is where most of the legal and ethical problems start.

Aitana López: the AI model with a salary

The most famous example is Aitana López, a pink-haired “model” created by the Barcelona agency The Clueless. She has a large Instagram following and sells content on Fanvue.

According to Euronews, the agency said she earned around €3,000 a month on average and up to €10,000 in some months, through brand deals and subscription content (Euronews). Fortune reported on AI influencers earning “tens of thousands of dollars a month” for their mostly anonymous creators (Fortune).

Those are the success stories. They are also the exceptions. For every AI model making money, there are thousands of AI accounts nobody follows.

An AI model never gets tired, never cancels a shoot and never asks for a raise. That is exactly why human creators should pay attention.

Fanvue’s bet on AI and the Miss AI contest

The platform that embraced AI most openly is Fanvue. Its co-founder and CEO, Will Monange, told Fortune that AI-generated creators made up 15% of Fanvue’s total revenue in November 2023, more than double the previous month (Fortune).

In 2024, Fanvue organised the World AI Creator Awards, including a Miss AI beauty contest for virtual influencers. About 1,500 AI creators entered. The winner was Kenza Layli, an AI lifestyle influencer presented as Moroccan; her human creator received $5,000 in cash plus mentoring and PR support (CNN; Euronews).

A beauty contest for women who do not exist. If that does not tell you how fast this world is changing, nothing will.

What OnlyFans allows

OnlyFans took a very different line. Its Acceptable Use Policy says you can only share content “generated, altered, or enhanced by artificial intelligence” if:

• it clearly features the verified creator;
• a user can clearly tell it is AI content, with a signifier such as #ai or #AIGenerated; and
• it follows the Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy (OnlyFans Acceptable Use Policy).

In practice, that means fully virtual AI personas are not allowed on OnlyFans. A real, verified creator can use AI to edit or generate images of themselves, labelled as such. An invented woman cannot have her own account.

What Fanvue allows

Fanvue does allow fully AI accounts, with conditions. According to its help centre:

• the account owner must pass ID verification, even if the “creator” is virtual;
• AI accounts must be clearly labelled as AI;
• if AI content uses a real person’s face, body or voice, that person must be verified and give documented consent (Fanvue Help Centre; Fanvue: verifying your AI account).

I compare the platforms more broadly in OnlyFans vs Fansly vs Fanvue.

Who is really behind AI models

Behind every AI model there are humans: designers who generate the images, marketers who run the social media and, very often, people who write the messages to fans.

That last part is important. On subscription platforms, a big share of income comes from private chats. With AI models, the “girl” is not real and the chat is handled by staff or by software. It is the same logic as the chatter agencies I described in OnlyFans chatters and agencies, taken one step further.

The honesty problem

For me, the whole ethical question comes down to one word: honesty.

• If a fan knows the model is AI and enjoys it anyway, that is entertainment, like a video game character.
• If the AI is hidden and the fan believes he is building a relationship with a real woman, that is deception.
• If an AI model uses the face or body of a real person without consent, it is abuse. That is the world of deepfakes, which I covered in AI deepfakes and porn performers.

The labelling rules on both OnlyFans and Fanvue exist precisely because of these risks.

What it means for human creators

Real creators should not panic, but they should not ignore this either:

• Competition for attention. AI accounts can post perfect images every day, at almost zero cost.
• Price pressure. If an AI model sells photos cheaply, it pushes down what fans expect to pay.
• Identity theft. Some AI models are clearly “inspired” by real performers. Protect your face and your brand.
• The human advantage. Real personality, real voice, real video, real interaction. That is what AI still struggles to fake convincingly, and what many fans are willing to pay more for.

Many human creators also use AI as a tool: editing, captions, scheduling. That is very different from replacing yourself.

If you are thinking of creating an AI model

If you are tempted to launch an AI model, at least do it properly:

1. Choose a platform that allows it. OnlyFans does not allow fully virtual personas. Fanvue does, with verification.
2. Label it clearly. On your profile, your posts and your social media.
3. Never use a real person’s face or body without verified, documented consent.
4. Keep everything clearly adult. Any content that could look like a minor is illegal and will get you banned and potentially prosecuted.
5. Be realistic about money. Most AI accounts, like most human ones, earn little.

My take

I am not afraid of AI models. I have been in this industry long enough to see many “revolutions” that were supposed to destroy it. What I see in AI is a tool that can help creators, and a temptation to deceive fans.

What I want is simple: label it, get consent and do not pretend. If a fan wants to pay for a virtual woman, that is his choice, as long as he knows. But the real value of this industry has always been human: chemistry, personality, presence. No software has a body that gets tired after a long day on set, and no software can replace the trust between a real creator and her fans.

For the human stories of the women in this industry, read my columns on House of Maximo. Follow my work at maximogarciaworld.com, and for the 18+ side, fuckingpornstars.net.

Sources

1. Euronews. Meet the Spanish AI model earning up to €10,000 a month. December 2024.
2. Fortune. AI influencers are making their secretive creators tens of thousands of dollars a month. 21 February 2024.
3. CNN. Miss AI crowns Moroccan lifestyle influencer Kenza Layli. July 2024.
4. Euronews. Meet Kenza Layli from Morocco, the winner of the world’s first Miss AI beauty pageant. July 2024.
5. OnlyFans. Acceptable Use Policy.
6. Fanvue Help Centre. AI content on Fanvue: what’s allowed.
7. Fanvue Help Centre. Verifying your AI account and anyone you feature.