The bright potential for innovation often comes shadowed by ethical dilemmas and exploitative practices. Recently, Gunnar Stone, a well-known figure in the adult industry, took to Twitter to expose a troubling encounter with Eva AI, an AI startup making waves for all the wrong reasons.

Eva AI, a company that crafts interactive AI chatbots modeled after real-life content creators and porn stars, promised a lucrative $10,000 signing bonus to lure performers into joining their platform. However, the allure of quick cash belies a darker reality: a predatory contract designed to bind creators indefinitely.

According to Stone’s tweet, Eva AI’s contracts lack a defined term and claim perpetual ownership over all AI-generated content, even if the creator later severs ties with the company.

“They try to lure you in with a 10K signing bonus to be on their platform BUT in their contract there is no term & is ‘indefinite’ & if you decide to terminate the contract they still own all AI-generated content they’ve made of you FOREVER!”

Stone warned. This means that Eva AI could continue to profit from a creator’s digital likeness, voice clones, and images, even decades after a creator has left the platform or the industry altogether.

When Stone’s manager and legal team attempted to negotiate the terms, Eva AI reportedly refused to make any concessions.

Stone highlighted the disparity in treatment between high-profile creators and less known individuals, suggesting that the company uses well-known figures to attract and exploit smaller, more vulnerable creators.

“Maybe you just got special treatment cause you’re a big name and could use having you as a model to help them take advantage of smaller creators,” Stone speculated.

This situation raises significant ethical questions about the rights of digital content creators and the extent to which companies can and should be allowed to control and profit from the digital replicas of real individuals. It highlights a growing concern in the tech industry about the potential for AI to be used in ways that strip individuals of their rights to their own digital and physical likenesses.

Legal experts argue that such contracts, while technically legal, exploit creators who may not fully understand the implications of signing away their digital rights in perpetuity.

Consumer advocacy groups are calling for clearer regulations and greater transparency in how companies like Eva AI operate, ensuring that creators are fully informed and fairly compensated for the use of their likenesses.

For now, Gunnar Stone’s experience serves as a stark warning to all content creators: the shine of a signing bonus might be tempting, but the cost of losing control over one’s digital self could be much higher.

As AI continues to integrate into more aspects of our lives, the need for vigilance and advocacy in protecting the rights of individuals only grows stronger.

You can follow Gunnar Stone on X at @getstonedxxx.