Former adult star Lana Rhoades, who left the industry saying she had little control and wanted her old videos deleted, is returning through an AI digital twin that will let her connect with fans without filming another explicit scene herself.
A return on her own terms
Rhoades, who has more than 13 million Instagram followers as @lanarhoades, is launching the digital double through Candy AI. She says the AI version will "pick up where I left off", offering personalised pictures, videos and one-to-one chats while keeping her real body off-screen.
The digital twin is modelled on Rhoades at the start of her career. "My digital twin is based on 19-year-old Lana, and she will pick up where I left off in the adult industry," she said.
Reflecting on the industry
Looking back at the industry she entered in 2016, Rhoades said performers had limited autonomy. "Before 2016, you would find an agent, they would fly you to LA, you'd stay in some small quarters, sometimes sharing a bed with another new performer, and they'd book you to shoot sex scenes for about $1,200," she said.
"Your agent chose your rate. You also had little say over who your sex partner in the scenes would be. There was not much autonomy in the hands of performers."
A deliberate decision not to return
Rhoades said the launch does not mean she wants to resume filming. "I am at a point in my career where it would no longer make me happy to use my own body for explicit sex content," she said.
She stopped filming in 2017, but her popularity continued, topping the most-searched performer ranking in 2019 with 345 million video views. She has previously spoken about wishing she could remove the films that helped make her famous.
Fans interact with the digital version
Rhoades said the AI version offers a new kind of engagement. "Fans aren't just consuming pre-recorded media anymore; with this, they can interact, chat 24/7, and generate customised content with the version of me," she said.
During a 2021 appearance on Harry Jowsey's Tap In podcast, she said she did not hold the rights to many of her old videos and if she did, she would probably have deleted them. She also described the moment she realised someone could earn significantly more by posting a simple photograph than she was making from an explicit adult shoot.
Speaking on The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast, Rhoades recalled earning $1,200 per scene while a male social media creator she met was receiving $15,000 for an Instagram picture.
Asked whether she had flirted with her digital twin to see what it would say back, she replied: "Absolutely, and she completely blew me away. Her flirt game is dangerously strong and she always has the perfect comeback."
For her, it is the opportunity to continue her business without physically performing. "It's hard to explain how liberating it is," she said.
She believes other creators will increasingly consider digital doubles as a way of stepping back from filming. "Having a digital twin completely rewrites that equation," she said. "I think more and more creators are going to look at this and realize they don't have to sacrifice their wellbeing to sustain a long-term career."
Her digital twin is due to launch November 11, with subscriptions priced at $13.99. Rhoades added: "I was completely hands-on and approved every single detail. I absolutely love her. It was incredibly important to me that she looks, breathes, and sounds just like the real me. Fans get the ultimate Lana Rhoades experience, but entirely on my terms, meaning my real-world boundaries are never crossed."
