Google put 25 AI agents together in a Sims-inspired virtual town, and told them to go about their lives
The ChatGPT-powered characters go to work, flirt, and throw Valentine’s day parties—forecasting new uses for AI in the study of human behavior
The risks and rewards of jailbreaking ChatGPT
When companies put sexual restrictions chatbots, users race to get around them—but there are other side effects to disabling the technology’s guardrails
Forbes fraudster Charlie Javice may just be the new Elizabeth Holmes
Charged with falsifying data to close a $175 billion deal, the young founder is the latest 30-Under-30 winner to be arrested for financial crimes
How do you moderate a chatbot?
In banning renderings of Chinese president Xi Jinping worldwide, Midjourney sparked debate about the policing of AI-generated content—and the line between regulation and censorship
Amidst calls to halt the advancement of generative tech, a chatbot convinced a man to kill himself
This incident comes in the wake of an open letter from AI experts, urging technologists to halt developments beyond GPT-4 ‘for the good of humanity’
Why is menstrual blood banned in porn? You might want to ask your credit card company
In the era of e-commerce, payment processors have become the internet’s unofficial content moderators—because when banks threaten to revoke service, platforms listen
Why can’t sex workers find a bank?
Following the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, another shutdown went unnoticed: that of SpankPay, one of the few payment platforms catering to the adult industry
Sophie Thatcher finds salvation in storytelling
The ‘Yellowjackets’ star opens up about her music career, childhood obsessions, and her desire to ‘become unrecognizable’
The work of art in the age of algorithmic optimization
The intellectual property debate asks who profits from the fruits of creative labor—and what it means to make something beautiful when everyone else can, too
GPT-4 heralds a new era of AI-generated get-rich-quick schemes
Digital entrepreneurs are automating their side hustles—and the ease with which they’re being replaced calls into question their value in the first place
Ethical Capital Partners wants to make Pornhub a leader in the fight against illegal content online
Parent company MindGeek has been acquired by a private equity firm, just days after a new Netflix documentary chronicled its exploitative practices
Meet CupidBot, an AI designed to automate straight men’s dating life
A group of alleged ex-Tinder engineers designed a service to improve the experience of heterosexual men in the only place they face systemic disadvantage: on...
Microsoft lays off its ethics team despite doubling down on AI offerings
The team was tasked with predicting the dangers of new technologies, raising questions about the company’s commitment to responsible use
Pornhub made free porn accessible to everyone—but at what cost?
Netflix’s new documentary ‘Money Shot’ chronicles the rise of the internet porn empire, and the scandals that rocked the adult film industry
What can we do about deepfake porn?
A new face-swap app ran provocative ads featuring celebrity faces, illustrating the dangers of non-consensual deepfakes and the struggle to moderate them
What internet sex drama says about our political climate
From debates over on-screen sex scenes to whether kids should be exposed to drag, recent Twitter discourse illustrates the slippery slope of online censorship
Maggie Millner breathes new life into old traditions with ‘Couplets’
In her searing literary debut, the poet renders a portrait of contemporary desire that resists categorization
For Vex Ashley, pleasure is an act of resistance
With DIY porn project Four Chambers, the adult filmmaker finds the art in sex—and investigates its relationship to society in the process
Microsoft “lobotomized” its chaotic chatbot—now, it’s rolling back those restrictions
When it’s not busy having an existential crisis or attempting to break up a marriage, the new Bing raises questions about the ethics of AI
How a coercive cult took hold at a college founded on free-thinking
The new docuseries ‘Stolen Youth’ traces the Sarah Lawrence scandal, revealing the fragility of human memory—and our collective vulnerability in the face of manipulation
For Betony Vernon, eroticism is a way of life
From sexology to erotic jewelry design, Vernon’s three-decade career draws on countless disciplines in the fight for our right to pleasure
From heart-racing to heart-melting, Erika Lust’s Valentine’s Day film list will evoke your fantasies
For Document, the adult film director chooses the best romantic movies to watch together or alone—and a pornographic selection to match
How TikTok’s dark psychology trend rebranded emotional manipulation
“Toxic relationship coaches” promise to help women reclaim the power in their relationships—but these techniques are not as liberating as they seem
Andy Shauf doesn’t play God
On ‘Norm,’ the Canadian singer-songwriter uses fiction to tackle dark themes—leaving it to the audience to make their own conclusions
Will transparency be enough to improve TikTok’s famously overzealous censorship policy?
The app is under fire for banning everything from educational content to videos about racial injustice. Now, they’re putting a new “strike” system in place
Deepfake porn isn’t just a consent issue, it’s a labor issue
Sex workers have been fighting for control over their imagery since the rise of the internet—and now everyday people have joined the fray
Charting the past, present, and future of emotionally-intelligent chatbots, from ELIZA to GPT-3
Consumer trust in technology is declining, even as machine learning programs grow more sophisticated. Are AI chatbots the exception?
For Hannah Traore, success is a communal experience
The 27-year-old Malian-Canadian is among New York’s youngest curators—and her namesake gallery is dedicated to bringing marginalized artists to the fore
Good artists borrow, great artists steal, and AI art generators get sued
The company behind popular art tool Stable Diffusion is facing accusations of copyright infringement from all sides, raising questions about the future of AI art
Nation of Language is the synth-pop time machine you didn’t know you needed
Ian Devaney and Aidan Noell share a behind-the-scenes look at their latest tour, and an homage to their musical influences
For cyborg Neil Harbisson, technology is the medium, not the message
From shark fins to seismic senses, members of the biohacking community are changing their brains and bodies to foster a deeper connection with nature
On the internet, no one knows you’re alive
Online communities have a notorious death-faking problem, from cult fanfiction deserters to unraveling indie yarn retailers
Tommy Pico and Carmen Maria Machado investigate horror as a reflection of the American psyche
For Document’s Winter/Resort 2023 issue, the writers delve deep into our collective subconscious to reveal the inextricable link between desire and fear
Indie romance author Susan Meachen faked her own death, committing social suicide in the process
The writer’s falsified death opened her up to receive the social judgment she already perceived in life
Christeene and Narcissister are exploring life’s profane pleasures
The transgressive artists join Document to discuss modern dating, sex magic, and Christeene’s latest album ‘MIDNITE FUKK TRAIN’
Michaela Stark transforms the corset from an emblem of conformity into a tool of liberation
With transgressive body-morphing designs, the Australian artist celebrates the features shapewear often serves to hide—satirizing oppressive patriarchal standards in the process
To honor Vivienne Westwood’s legacy, rebel against it
Now beloved by the industry she once aimed to disrupt, the fashion maverick will be remembered for a life spent questioning the status quo
Carl Craig and Nazy Nazhand are bridging the gap between art and electronic music
For Document, the pioneering DJ and art advisor reunite to discuss how visual and sonic experimentation will inform our future
A dispatch from the ritzy underbelly of Art Basel Miami Beach
Everything we overheard at Basel, from an alleged museum break-in, to gallerists making up fake press clippings, to what Uber drivers think of it all
Laurie Simmons makes art, not magic
An icon of the Pictures Generation, the artist is back with a never-before-shown series of works showcasing pornographic images in surreal suburban interiors
For Weyes Blood, fantasy is a form of survival
On ‘And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow,’ Natalie Mering explores the function of storytelling in the face of societal collapse
Jack Davison investigates the collective unconscious
The London-based photographer joins Document to discuss the spontaneity of his creative process, the alluring appeal of analog, and finding inspiration in an image-saturated age
Gray Sorrenti on what makes a good photograph
“Everyone has a story, a background, something or someone they love, some struggle, some obsession. I love to tap into it all.”
Independent porn director Erika Lust invites you to reprogram your desires
Mainstream porn sites may be getting people off for free—but at what cost?
A rundown of mesmerizing runway moments, from McQueen’s Kate Moss hologram to Coperni’s spray-on dress
Document looks back in time to some of the most visionary presentations in fashion history
Inside FORMAT, the festival bringing cyborgs and sex therapy to the Ozarks
Held in the town that Walmart built, its inaugural edition offered attendees a choose-your-own-adventure-style journey designed to blend art, music, and technology
For Snail Mail, vulnerability is a double-edged sword
Frontwoman Lindsey Jordan joins Document to discuss her changing perspective on love, the intimacy of songwriting, and her cinematic debut
Anna Delvey wants to be the new face of prison reform
The faux heiress on her newfound interest in political advocacy, the death of American entrepreneurship, and going from con artist to fine artist
Perfume Genius expresses the indefinable on ‘Ugly Season’
For Document’s tenth anniversary issue, musician Mike Hadreas reflects on the physicality of emotions and using anxiety as artistic fuel
