--- title: "AI Company Paying Random People $2,000 Per Month to Crank the Hog" description: "AI companion startup Joi AI is hiring ten \"masturbation consultants,\" according to a job listing the company posted on social media." date: "2026-05-31" modified: "2026-05-31" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-company-cranking-hog" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Ethics" --- # AI Company Paying Random People $2,000 Per Month to Crank the Hog ![A man reclines with a computer on his lap and one hand pulling at his belt.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Shutterstock* AI companies have long relied on armies of data labelers, whose job it is to annotate, tag and classify text, images and videos to train AI models. It's not exactly a flashy occupation, with some saying they're [forced to watch]() privacy-invading footage. Others argue they're being forced to [dig their own graves]() by training models capable of doing their old jobs. Other job opportunities in the space could prove more pleasurable. As [*Business Insider* reports](), a chatbot companion startup called Joi AI, which offers a NSFW character AI chat service, is hiring ten "mast\*\*bation consultants," according to a job listing the company posted on social media. Best of all, chosen candidates will be paid $2,000 a month — not bad for cranking the hog to audio erotica. These consultants are being asked to spend four weeks writing about their intimate experience while testing the company's audio feature. Anyone [can apply](). Unsurprisingly, Joi AI was quickly drowning in applications, with the company's head of brand, Julie Levin, telling *BI* that the company had received over 100,000 applications in a matter of days. "What are we supposed to do with 100,000 applications?" Levin said. "I should probably call them 'winners,' because it's such a competition." It's an unusual AI gig that will involve chosen candidates delivering weekly reports after completing "daily audio-guided sessions." "We expect people to learn something about how mast\*\*bation affects their life in a good way or a bad way," Levin told *BI*. "We wanted them to reflect on that." Chances are that not everybody signing up was sincerely meaning to help the company fine-tune its new audio feature. In a [recent tweet](), the company reflected on the types of "cover letter openings" it had received, which ranged from "this is my calling," to "I've been training for this my whole life." Other openings included "my therapist said I needed a hobby," and "I applied on behalf of my husband." "Time to go pro," one X user [joked](). "Ready to contribute extensive data, repeatedly, for science." The reality, of course, is that companies offering NSFW chatbot companionship have long been shrouded in controversy, from men creating AI girlfriends and [verbally abusing them]() to [teenagers falling in love]() with their new large language model-powered partners. Experts also warn that a huge proportion of those with AI companions appear to be [more depressed and lonely]() than those who don’t. Other research has found that people hooked on AI chatbots are more likely to [experience profound breaks with reality]() and [higher levels of psychological distress](). **More on AI chatbots:** [*Certain Chatbots Vastly Worse For AI Psychosis, Study Finds*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()