tech
January 30, 2026
Inside the marketplace powering bespoke AI deepfakes of real women
New research details how Civitai lets users buy and sell tools to fine-tune deepfakes the company says are banned.
TL;DR
- Civitai, an AI content marketplace backed by Andreessen Horowitz, allows users to buy custom instruction files (LoRAs) for generating AI content, including deepfakes.
- A study found a significant portion of deepfake requests on Civitai targeted women, with 86% of deepfake requests being for LoRAs.
- The platform provides resources and user-written articles detailing how to generate pornography and customize AI outputs, including changing poses.
- Civitai previously banned only sexually explicit deepfakes of real people but announced a ban on all deepfake content in May 2025; however, many existing deepfake requests and submissions are still available.
- The company's credit card processor cut ties due to issues with nonconsensual content, requiring users to use gift cards or cryptocurrency for explicit content purchases.
- Civitai has a system for users to manually request takedowns of deepfakes, but moderation is largely left to the public.
- Civitai joined other AI companies in adopting principles against child sexual abuse material, following a report that identified many AI models used in such communities as Stable Diffusion-based and predominantly obtained via Civitai.
- Andreessen Horowitz invested $5 million in Civitai in November 2023.