A group of sex workers, sex tech businesses, and sex educators has demanded a seat at the table to shape AI regulations that they say could lead to discrimination against them. In response to European internet regulations, a collective of adult industry members urged the European Commission to include them in future negotiations shaping AI regulations.
The group, which includes erotic filmmaker Erika Lust’s company and the European Sex Workers’ Rights Alliance campaign group, claims that their views are being overlooked in vital discussions on policing AI technology despite also being implicated in AI’s momentous rise. They aim to alert the commission of what they say is a “critical gap” in discussions on AI regulation.
Ana Ornelas, a Berlin-based erotic author and educator, says that current discussion strategy risks excluding first-hand perspectives on adult content and overregulating an already-marginalized community. She fears that banishing all adult content will sweep legitimately created content away with nonconsensual material and push people to AI models with no filters at all.
The group is demanding a seat at the table to shape AI regulations. They believe that they can offer the right insight to policymakers so they can regulate in a way that safeguards fundamental rights, freedom, and fosters a more sex-positive online environment.
The European Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.