AI tools have deeply integrated into various niches, from marketing and advertising to affiliate marketing. With tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, and other specialized instruments, you can perform various routine tasks — from generating promotional materials to composing SEO texts. AI tools have become so advanced that proficient users can create deepfakes making it hard to differentiate between a real image and a fake one.
Today, we analyze how AI generated models make money. We’ll discuss the advantages and pitfalls of this earning method. We will provide examples and present a list of tools for working with virtual avatars.
How to Create an AI Model
Numerous deepfakes and amusing FaceSwap videos are far from the final level of AI development. For over five years, the field of AI modeling has been actively boosted. In some sources, non-existent models are called “OnlyFans killers,” but it is too early to draw such conclusions. Monetizing content with them is challenging, although there are a few successful cases.
By the way, you can create a picture made by AI generation, put it on someone’s body, and undress it using a Telegram bot.
There are many services on the market for creating these models, but none can yet deliver perfect results consistently. To get a more or less realistic image, you sometimes have to perform 5-10 generations.
Top tools for image generation include RenderNet and OnlyFakes. Another popular tool is the desktop AI tool Fooocus Stable Diffusion XL, which is controlled via console. Some tools can generate photos with mild erotic content, suitable for subscription-based content platforms.
It is not possible to pass off a non-existent model as a real person, even the top products generate images with visual imperfections. As for videos, the technology for face replacement has not yet reached that level.
Some enterprising affiliates manage to create AI influencers and make money from them, but such examples have not yet become widespread. Viral content and coverage in top media outlets help achieve this.
You can also make an OnlyFans page (or use any other platform alike) for your AI model and try to monetize it. Generate some pictures and videos (explicit ones, of course), upload them, and try to drive traffic to it from other platforms. Reddit could be a good traffic source in this case. You will need to search for NSFW subreddits to post your content in.
But be prepared for bans, since moderation there is usually strict. To continue posting on Reddit even after a ban, you’ll need to farm accounts, and this is how you do it.
Websites that provide AI girlfriends can be of help, too.
AI Generated Models Monetization: Approximate Figures
Basically, any user with any level of knowledge can get started with AI, but building an effective content monetization funnel is something only a few can achieve. Therefore, successful cases are still rare.
We’ve covered AI generation of nude images a lot, so check it out, too.
One of the top examples is the project by the Spanish company The Clueless. They created the pink-haired fitness model Aitana Lopez and gained over 380,000 followers on Instagram.
Posts gather thousands of likes, compliments, and dozens of news articles in various media outlets. The company creates such models for product advertising and long-term branding.
According to some sources, the creators of Aitana earn over $10,000 per month from the Telegram bot and other monetization tools. She does not have accounts on OnlyFans or other similar platforms yet.
Another successful case is Emily Pellegrini. Her Instagram account was quickly built up to 546,000 followers.
Interestingly, these “girls” constantly receive messages from various athletes and wealthy men with offers to meet. Some AI researchers predict that by 2026, about 60% of popular accounts on OnlyFans will be created by non-existent models.
However, there is an important nuance. On OnlyFans and other top platforms, there is a strict identity verification procedure. It is not possible to pass this with generated documents. Additionally, such models are often banned for violating platform rules.
In August 2023, the author of the OnlyCash channel conducted an experiment with promoting an AI model and got banned in one day. He managed to earn $6, but could not withdraw the money from the system.
Media content created by AI can be published on FanVue. This is the main alternative to OnlyFans and Fansly, where generated photos and videos are allowed.
It should be noted that creating high-quality media content using desktop tools requires technical skills, and the capabilities of cloud platforms are available on a paid basis. Therefore, expenses for supporting an AI model are unavoidable.
How AI-Generated Models Can Be Used in Affiliate Marketing
These virtual models cannot act as an independent business model for most affiliates — they work best as ad creatives inside existing affiliate funnels. They can attract attention, warm up audience, and pre-sell offers in competitive verticals.
The most common approach is using them as virtual personas that drive traffic from social platforms (Instagram, X, Telegram) or adult-friendly channels to affiliate landing pages.
In dating and adult verticals, AI-generated girls are often used as entry points to dating offers (AI dating especially), AI girlfriend platforms, webcam programs, or subscription-based services. The model builds curiosity and emotional engagement, while the affiliate funnel handles conversion through pre-landers, chats, or CTA pages.
In nutra and gambling, they are typically used more carefully and mostly as visual or branding elements. For example, a recognizable AI character can be attached to a Telegram channel, content hub, or push-traffic funnel, increasing CTR and trust compared to anonymous creatives.
From a practical standpoint, affiliates use such models to:
- increase CTR on social and teaser traffic
- bypass creative fatigue by generating unlimited visual variations
- avoid licensing issues tied to stock photos or real influencers
- quickly test GEOs and verticals without long preparation cycles
Conclusion
AI-generated models have proven that they can attract attention and generate revenue, especially in erotic and adult-adjacent niches, but their success is rarely universal or easily repeatable. It could be easily repeatable back in 2021-2022, but now users are too used to AI stuff. As a result, you can either use them for ad creative purposes only, or try to make users believe that the model you’re promoting is a real person.
Ksenia has extensive hands-on experience in affiliate marketing, having worked as a media buyer and affiliate for several years across multiple verticals. Throughout her career, she managed traffic from a wide range of sources, tested funnels, and collaborated directly with advertisers and networks.
For the past six years, she has also been writing in-depth articles, reviews, and analytical guides about affiliate marketing. Her work has appeared on well-known industry blogs and platforms, where she covers topics such as traffic sources, compliance, creatives, tracking, and campaign optimization.
Today, Ksenia combines practical experience with editorial expertise, contributing as a guest expert to various affiliate marketing projects and helping educate both beginners and experienced affiliates.
Ratmir started his copywriting career back in 2016. He is now editor-in-chief with an MA with Honors in Linguistics.
His primary expertise is in affiliate marketing, EdTech, education, IT, and sports.
Ratmir specializes in content marketing, content management, proofreading, and translation.
