Lana Rhoades, who has more than 13 million Instagram followers, is launching a Candy AI digital twin that offers fans personalised pictures, videos and chats while keeping her real body off-screen
A former adult performer has announced she is using AI to come out of retirement. Lana Rhoades claimed that she’s now regained her creative independence and won’t need to shoot another explicit scene herself.
She said that when she initially entered the industry, agents determined performers’ fees and arranged their shoots, leaving them with minimal authority. But now Lana, who boasts more than 13 million Instagram followers, is unveiling a digital replica that she says will “pick up where I left off”.
She said it will provide fans with customised pictures, videos and private chats while keeping her actual body off-camera.
Reflecting on the business she joined in 2016, Lana said: “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.
“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.”
Now, almost a decade after leaving the business, Lana has discovered a method to reconnect with her audience – through an AI version of herself. Lana is unveiling the replica through Candy AI, reports the Irish Star.
However, she insists the decision does not signal a desire to return to filming. She said: “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.”
The digital incarnation has been deliberately crafted in the likeness of Lana at the start of her career. She said: “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: “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.”
Lana quit filming in 2017, yet her popularity endured, topping the most-searched performer ranking in 2019, with a staggering 345 million video views. She has previously spoken openly about her desire to remove the films that catapulted her to fame.
During a 2021 appearance on Harry Jowsey’s Tap In podcast, she revealed she did not own the rights to many of her old videos and that, had she done so, she would more than likely have deleted them. She also recounted the moment she realised someone could rake in significantly more money by posting a straightforward photograph than she was earning from an explicit adult shoot.
Speaking on The Skinny Confidential Him and Her Podcast, Lana recalled pocketing $1,200 per scene while a male social media creator she encountered was pulling in $15,000 for a single Instagram picture.
When quizzed about whether she had flirted with her digital double to gauge its responses, 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 represents the chance to keep her business ticking over without having to physically perform. She said: “It’s hard to explain how liberating it is.”
She believes fellow creators will increasingly look at digital doubles as a means of stepping away from filming. She said: “Having a digital twin completely rewrites that equation. 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 double is set to launch on November 11, with subscriptions priced at $13.99. Lana 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.”