Here’s a headline you didn’t expect: an AI company is paying people $2,000 a month to masturbate. No joke. Joi AI, a startup focused on adult AI companionship, is hiring ten “masturbation consultants” to test a new audio-guided feature.

The job lasts four weeks. Participants must follow daily AI-generated voice sessions and then report on how the experience affects their mood, stress, sleep, and confidence. The company wants detailed feedback to refine the feature before launching it more broadly.

Applicants must be 18 or older. Joi AI emphasizes they want articulate, observant people who can describe their experience better than a wine sommelier describes a vintage. The startup is looking for diverse candidates across age, gender, and sexuality.

Since the job posting went live, the response has been overwhelming. Joi AI’s brand head, Julie Levin, said the company received over 100,000 applications in just a few days. They never expected such a flood of interest from mostly men in their 20s and 30s.

The role is not performative or public-facing. It’s essentially a paid product test. Participants complete short weekly reports and answer questionnaires about session quality, AI voice mood matching, immersion, and technical glitches. The company also asks what applicants hope to learn about themselves through this experience.

Why This Matters

This isn’t just a quirky gig. Joi AI operates in the growing AI companionship market, where digital relationships, emotional support, and intimacy get a technological twist. Their platform lets users create and interact with AI characters designed for emotional and intimate connection.

The new feature aims to blend AI intimacy with wellness, exploring how guided masturbation affects emotional and physical health. It’s a bold move in a market that’s simultaneously expanding and facing ethical questions about AI’s role in human relationships.

Joi AI rebranded from Eva AI in 2025 and has raised around $4 million. It operates with 70 employees and millions of monthly users. Their pricing model is coin-based, starting at $13.99 a month for 1,000 coins to spend on AI interactions.

The startup’s move highlights a niche investors are watching closely. Big tech is interested but cautious. Elon Musk’s xAI launched lingerie-wearing AI companions with adult modes. OpenAI considered erotica features but backed off. This space is a minefield of ethical and social challenges.

Joi AI’s public call for “masturbation consultants” sparked a social media frenzy. Some applicants want to “be part of history.” Others joke they’ve “been training for this their whole life.” The startup even encourages sharing application screenshots online.

The job may sound absurd, but it reflects how AI is reshaping intimacy, wellness, and even employment. Joi AI bets that personal, AI-guided sexual wellness will carve out a lasting digital niche. Whether this experiment leads to better products or awkward family dinners remains to be seen.