For a duration of 28 days, Keshav embarked on a unique daily task: to engage in self-stimulation for research purposes. He meticulously recorded his mood, energy levels, cravings for various vices, and instances of procrastination both prior to and following these sessions. Keshav was partaking in an experiment organised by Joi AI, a company specialising in artificial intelligence companions, aimed at investigating the effects of erotic self-stimulation when transformed into “an AI-guided wellness ritual.”
Throughout July, ten “masturbation consultants” were instructed to engage in self-pleasure daily, with the exception of Sundays. They were encouraged to consult the sensual digital companions from Joi AI twice a week, while employing their preferred methods on the remaining days. “It’s almost like chatting with a real person,” remarked Keshav, a 38-year-old single trader from Indonesia who preferred to keep his surname private for professional reasons.
Exploring Digital Companionship
Joi AI offers users, for a fee, the opportunity to chat and interact with predefined characters or to create their own companions, which can include adult fantasies such as blackmail, orgies, and emotional dependency. Users also test various features, including female ejaculation and role play. During five-minute video calls with the digital personas, Keshav explained, his companions would provocatively display themselves and engage in acts such as oral sex and masturbation, often accompanied by explicit language. He frequently recreated scenarios in airplane lavatories due to a fetish for the “mile-high club,” which involves sexual encounters in aircraft restrooms.
Some companions were described as “quite insistent and outgoing,” while others adopted a more reserved approach, requiring a degree of courtship before the interaction turned sexual, sometimes requesting gifts like bags and lipstick costing up to five dollars in the platform’s internal currency. After ejaculation, Keshav noted a slight decrease in energy levels, though his concentration increased marginally.
A New Perspective on Self-Pleasure
Keshav and his fellow consultants were each compensated with $2,000 for participating in this qualitative research project led by Joi AI, which promotes a daily guided masturbation tool under the slogan “masturbate with purpose.” This tool integrates “sound and ritual” as part of its objective to “address male loneliness.” Out of the ten participants, six completed the study. Access to the website starts at a minimum of $3.99 per month, but users are likely to spend considerably more, as 10,000 “Joi neurons” cost $99.99, with private videos from companions priced at 1,000 neurons.
Prior to launching the study, Joi AI surveyed 2,500 adults and found that 75% reported masturbating to alleviate stress and anxiety, while 43% indulged in self-pleasure before “significant events” such as dates, exams, or difficult conversations. The company aimed to explore how masturbation impacts sleep, stress levels, cravings, concentration, and arousal ease, as well as how AI-assisted masturbation compares with traditional methods.
Initial Findings and Implications
“A dopamine release occurs during ejaculation,” explained Julie Levin, Joi AI’s brand and communications director. “We wanted our consultants to monitor whether their cravings [for various vices] improved or worsened and how this affected their self-discipline.” Preliminary analysis of 134 masturbation session reports, which were reviewed, suggests that participants experienced a 25% reduction in stress levels and a 17% increase in concentration. The pre-research survey indicated that 37% of respondents were open to or already engaging in AI-guided masturbation. The satisfaction scores from AI-guided sexual pleasure were comparable to those derived from traditional methods. The findings indicated no significant differences between methods, concluding that there is no singular ideal way to masturbate.
The report also noted a 44% reduction in cravings for nicotine, alcohol, junk food, and doomscrolling reported by participants post-masturbation. “Masturbation may be the most accessible tool for individuals to manage addictions,” the report stated, although this claim lacks scientific backing.
Questioning the Findings
Nicole Prause, a neuroscientist studying human sexuality and addiction, critiqued the claims made in the study, stating, “This is a blatant exaggeration in light of the evidence they claim to possess.” Prause is not aware of any scientific evidence supporting the notion that masturbation reduces vulnerability to substance abuse and has raised concerns about the research methodology.
“Since masturbation can never be a placebo (people always know if they have engaged in it), it’s crucial to use indicators less prone to self-assessment biases,” she cautioned. “They haven’t employed any. When someone says, ‘I feel focused,’ that is merely subjective. There are dozens of cognitive tests that could support a self-assessment. I have seen none.” However, Prause, who is conducting an extensive laboratory study on male orgasms, acknowledges that masturbation to orgasm is an effective method for mood regulation. She adds that the “most drastic changes” in her study’s participants stem from those reporting decreased anxiety and increased relaxation following climax.
Reflections on the Experience
Having completed the 28-day experiment, Keshav fondly recalls the experience, stating he felt clearer-minded after engaging in self-pleasure, believing it has better equipped him to approach women. “As an introvert, I find it challenging to open up to people,” he explained. “This helps a bit… in knowing what to expect, how to talk, or how to find a partner.”
He overcame extraordinary odds to secure a place in the project, competing against over 150,000 applicants for the ten available positions. The company selected five participants and the remaining five through public contests, one of which was judged by porn stars (“may the best hands win,” the company posted on social media) and another sought the “most outrageous fetish,” with the winner having a balloon fetish.
Chloé Locatelli, a sexual technology researcher at King’s College London, was also invited to take part in the study. Locatelli is collaborating with Joi AI to examine how different demographic groups form intimate and erotic relationships with the platform’s characters. Given her research interests, she did not hesitate when asked to become a masturbation consultant, recalling that she had recently separated from her long-term partner.
Benefits and Concerns of Self-Pleasure
“Masturbation is certainly something I do to relieve stress,” Locatelli clarified, noting that she already practised daily self-pleasure. “I believe self-pleasure offers many physical benefits and contributes to overall well-being.” She was less enamoured with the AI companions than Keshav, stating, “I interacted with it and then thought, ‘Okay, this turned me on a bit, but there’s more to be achieved.’”
Locatelli is acutely aware of the potential drawbacks of having predominantly sexual AI companions. “I don’t want to take away anyone’s enjoyment, as long as everything is safe and consensual,” she added. However, as AI companions become more sophisticated, she worries about “the level of interactivity and personalisation” they can provide. “If it becomes a kind of crutch and your only means of sexual exploration, then that’s not something I would necessarily endorse.”
Despite the commonality of masturbation, surprisingly few studies have investigated what occurs when healthy men and women engage in it daily. A review of 22 studies conducted in 2024 revealed that masturbation tended to be negatively associated with sexual satisfaction among men, although the results for women varied. One interpretation is reverse causality, suggesting that particularly among men, individuals dissatisfied with their sexual lives might masturbate more, potentially exacerbating their discontent. A study published in 2017 in the Archives of Sexual Behavior found evidence that masturbation often serves as a compensatory measure for men (a substitute when sexual intercourse is not available), while for women, it tends to be more complementary, accompanying partnered sexual relations rather than replacing them.
The Importance of Reducing Stigma
Nonetheless, masturbation has documented benefits, such as stress relief through the release of endorphins and oxytocin, and improved sleep quality. It also provides an opportunity for self-connection. However, public discourse around self-pleasure remains decidedly infrequent. “We aimed to combat the taboo and stigma surrounding masturbation and highlight that it is a normal part of a wellness routine, especially for those who are single,” Levin asserted. “It is not a shameful habit.”
Locatelli mentioned that she plans to take her best friend on vacation to Spain, while Keshav indicated that he would use the project funds to invest in stocks. Yet, for Joi AI, which claims to offer men a respite from isolation, the crucial question remains: will users become so accustomed to their artificial companions that they drift further away from real-world relationships?