Pornography has been within our reach for years. I still remember my first encounter vividly. I was handed an explicit magazine, and it formed an unhealthy view of women, sex, and expectations for years to come. An encounter that felt isolated has proven to be quite common. As a pastor, I often speak with men and women who share similar stories whose early exposure to porn has similarly shaped their views of life and relationships.
In the early 2000s, pornography shifted from magazines to mobile phones, and access and demand only grew. For Gen Z, porn wasn’t simply discovered; it was something expected. Prevalent and easily accessible, porn was normalized, and the early exposure impacted them significantly. The early rhythm of daily consumption of porn influenced young adults’ views on expectations, mental health, self-image, and relationships.
The early patterns of porn consumption continue, but the details are rapidly evolving before our eyes. We are witnessing another shift, and it’s far more impactful than moving from magazines to smartphones. Artificial intelligence has transformed the porn industry, and it’s shifting from content viewing to a far more dangerous endeavor.
The newest trend has not only increased access; it has fundamentally shifted the experience. Men and women are no longer searching for specific content; they are creating it. What once was passive has become interactive. What once was fantasy has become eerily relational. AI has created something dangerous and powerful, a substitute for human intimacy. AI is creating counterfeit intimacy.
With the use of AI, people can generate images of unknowing participants, create digital partners that simulate relationships, and even take part in immersive roleplay.
This new phenomenon has extraordinary ethical and legal implications. According to addictioncenter.com, AI porn specifically impacts adolescents and young adults in the form of deepfakes, sextortion, and unrealistic dating expectations.
An age of counterfeit intimacy is dangerous; real intimacy requires effort, vulnerability, patience, and sacrifice. It requires both hopefulness and even disappointment.
Counterfeit intimacy removes all of that; it offers a superficial, affirming connection that won’t provide limitations or real presence. Over time, it leads deeper into isolation, creating the false impression that companion bots are more than they are in reality. It’s easy, always responsive, and hyper-focused on you.
The increased use of AI porn, specifically companion bots, leads its users to have a higher risk of significant mental health issues. As users spend more time building companionship with their digital AI partner, they risk increased dependency and exploitation.
Pornography has historically created unhealthy expectations. AI has built on those expectations by creating simulated relationships that promise compelling, highly adaptive partners to meet unrealistic fantasies, but it underdelivers on that promise, leading to increased dependency and isolation.
AI Porn is here, and it’s growing. Where does that leave us?
For faith leaders, counselors, and friends, the response must transcend guilt and shame. Guilt and shame have never been effective pathways to healing. Many turn to AI porn for escape, connection, and companionship. Our role is to remind those struggling that they are created for more than a digital relationship, limited to a screen. They deserve more than counterfeit intimacy.
It starts with a safe place where people can be transparent about their struggles without the fear of rejection. It requires recognizing that a desire for connection is biblical, but that the type of connection must also align with God’s design. And God’s design is explicitly human-to-human; anything else falls short of what they are created for.
Counterfeit intimacy has created easy, ready-made relationships. Real intimacy takes effort and vulnerability. Real intimacy requires real relationships, real presence, and real people.
Choosing what’s real has never mattered more.
