AI, deepfakes, and the synthetic adult content debate (2026)

Abstract. The intersection of generative AI and adult media in 2026 is no longer a niche concern: it spans a maturing deepfake-detection research literature (with a documented one-generation lag between generators and detectors), the C2PA content-provenance standard and its uneven adoption, the legal-regulatory responses to non-consensual intimate imagery in the UK, EU, and US, and the structural competitive position of legitimate documented-consent adult production. This entry surveys the current state of all four threads and the open technical and policy questions that remain.

By Rohan Mehta. 1,760 words · 8 min · 7 citations.