Content warning: This article discussing adult content and consent violations. Atrioc was embroiled in a scandal involving AI and Deepfake adult content of various Twitch streamers who are known for not doing NSFW content. If consent violations upset you, feel free to click away.

You may be familiar with the below photo:

If not, then you may not be in the streaming side of the internet. What you see above is Atrioc and his girlfriend putting out an apology for viewing deepfake adult content of various female Twitch streamers. He is a cofounder of OFFBRAND (“a creative studio built by (actual) creators”) with fellow popular streamed Ludwig.

What is a “Deepfake?”

A deepfake is (by the oxford definition) “a video of a person in which their face or body has been digitally altered so they appear to be someone else, typically used maliciously or to spread false information.”

In this case, Atrioc viewed deepfake adult content of several streamers, many he knew in real life and they considered him a friend.

What exactly happened?

While we were not in the room when it happened, Atrioc was “caught in 4K” viewing deepfake adult content of very very big female streamers Pokimane, QTCinderella and Sweet Anita.

On his livestream Monday, 30 Jan 2023, he accidentally displayed a browser window open to a site dedicated to non-consensual AI-generated images (“deepfakes”). This particular account’s niche was deepfakes of popular streamers and viewers of this stream screenshotted and leaked the information – the nonconsensual images, the names of the site and of the women being deepfaked.

The Apology

Atrioc would then go on to stream his apology stream Monday as well – though his excuse for being on the site has some… interesting plot holes. He says that he was on PornHub, clicked an ad for the deepfake porn and somehow – as his wife Arianna put it, “He always clicks through paywalls so that wasn’t an obstacle for him.” Which seems weird, but I am not sure exactly how being a man or someone with male genitalia who consumes adult content.

He later (1 Feb 2023) posted a Twitlonger apology that sounds like one of the “calls” he was going to make was to a legal team. His apology stream, where his wife was crying behind him (and her input in the stream was unnecessary and weird), was very much a non-apology. He apologized to his community not the women he (for a lack of better term) victimized.

However, in the Twitlonger, his apology was to Pokimane and Maya – who I guess were the two women he was supposedly “friends” with.

“You have both succeeded in this industry in spite of all the blatant unfounded sexist attempts to hurt or assassinate your character in a male dominated space. And now I’m another guy on that long list. I’m sorry I didn’t reach out sooner, I’m sorry my actions have lead to further exploitation of you and your body, and I’m sorry your experience is not uncommon.”

He’s not incorrect, the experience is not uncommon. And as someone who touts himself as “pro-woman” and how he tried to “create a pattern of behavior where I really want – especially women – on Twitch to feel safe.“

The Response(s)

The women in these video were QTCinderella (founder of the Streamer Awards, and Twitch streamer with 830K followers), Pokimane (probably one of the original “Twitch girls” with 9.3M followers), Maya Higa (729K followers) and Sweet Anita (378K followers). These were not voiceless women with 0 support – these are huge creators.

QTCinderella

QTCinderella had a huge week this week being a guest on Riot’s League Championship Series. She’s been a long time fan and was received very well in the community. Unforuntely, that amazing accomplishment was overshadowed by some “friend” deciding his hard-on was more important than morals and ethics. And sure, “dickbrain” is a thing. We all do stupid things when we are horny sometimes. I can’t say that I have ever “made a mistake” involving my debit card and adult content though. But I don’t view adult content – I just make it.

QTC went on livestream 1 Jan 30 to address how she was feeling. I don’t disagree with her feeling whatsoever. Her body language was obvious that she felt vulnerable and violated. I honestly wanted to give her a hug. Her pain and anger was 100% warranted.

QTC’s Statement

“This is probably stupidest thing I’ve ever probably done. I’m sure everyone in the wouldn’t tell me not to go live right now; But I wanted to go live because I want to go live. Because this is what pain looks like. This is what it looks like, okay?“

“Fuck the fucking internet. Fuck the constant exploitation and objectification of women. It’s exhausting. Showing it to thousands of people. The people DMing me pictures of myself from the website. This is what it looks like. This is what pain looks like.“

“You were able to look at women who are not selling themselves or benefitting off being seen sexually. They’re not benefitting. They’re not selling it. They’re not platforming it themselves. You were able to at that. You are the problem. You see women as an object. You should not be doing that. It should not be part of my job to have to pay money to get this stuff taken out. It should not be part of my job to be harassed, to see pictures of myself, nudes spread around. It shouldn’t be. It shouldn’t be part of my job. The fact that it is, is exhausting.“

She ends her statement with, “I am going to fucking sue you with every part of my soul. I know that I shouldn’t have gotten on. I’m so exhausted and I think you guys need to know what pain looks like because this is – this is what it looks like to feel violated, This is what it looks like to feel taken advantage of. This is what it looks like to see yourself – against your will – being spread all over the internet. This is what it looks like.”

She additionally put out a few Twitter statements:

Pokimane

Pokimane is known to be litigious in the past. However, her response to the deepfake was short, sweet and to the point:

Concise. Honest. She’s had to deal with being sexualized and deal with misogyny in the Twitch realm – which is not uncommon, as Atrioc mentioned in his non-apology stream.

Maya

Maya was a little more open with her response. She was open about how she was sexually assaulted in 2018 while at a party. She discusses how in 2018 – the world calls it rape and today – in 2023 – the world “debates the validity of her experience.”

Sweet Anita

Sweet Anita didn’t even know about the issue until the Dextero article that broke the story. Her nger, like the other women’s anger – completely justified.

“It’s Not Real People!”

This is an argument that has been seen online. That deepfakes aren’t real, so what is the big deal if someone super imposes your face on a body.

Consent. That’s the difference.

In the livestream, gaming and Twitch communities, women are often referred to as “whores” “thots” as well as sexualized and degraded. Women who decide not to do sex work or NSFW content are often bombarded with messages of “OF?” “Onlyfans?” “PornHub?” “Feet?” “Sex?” So on and so forth.

And even if someone does any form of sex work as well as streaming, there is still a consent issue with deepfakes. You’re using someone’s likeness against their will – as though the person in question is an object.

Despite that they “aren’t real people” when you use the likeness of someone, you are turning that person into an object for your pleasure, and if they don’t know about it – it’s nonconsensual. If they do not agree to it being up – it’s nonconsensual.

AI is relatively new and is evolving so quickly that right now, there is not laws against deepfake adult content.

It’s something we may see – especially now with so many eyes on it.