Stimulated Reality: Immersive VR Filmmaking and New Research on AI and Virtual Sex in Digital-Native Generations

Explore cutting-edge 2025 research on virtual intimacy and VR sex featuring a VR-filmed documentary, published in the Journal of Visual and Media Anthropology.
I am currently a masters student in visual media anthroplogy and and my university has just published my study and documentary on Virtual intimacy and AI.

Title: Stimulated Reality: Virtual Intimacy and the Anthropology of the Metaverse.

Published in the Journal of Visual and Media Anthropology, Vol. 9, 2025, ISSN 2366-4975

PAPER

Montgomery, Robb (2025). “Stimulated Reality: Virtual Intimacy and the Anthropology of the Metaverse.” Journal of Visual and Media Anthropology, vol. 9, Artificial Entanglements: Memory, Emotion, and Connection in the Age of AI, edited by Urte Undine Frmming and Kristen Powell, Media University, ISSN 2366-4975.

FILM

This study includes a short documentary film produced with a VR headset as a film camera, complementing the research.

Montgomery, Robb, director (2025). Stimulated Reality: Virtual Intimacy [Film]. Journal of Visual and Media Anthropology, vol. 9, Artificial Entanglements: Memory, Emotion, and Connection in the Age of AI, Media University.

Abstract

This qualitative study investigates how virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) inform evolving practices of virtual intimacy among digital-native generations. Through a mixed-methods anthropological approach, including virtual ethnography in adult-themed VR environments and preliminary user interviews, the research explores opportunities and ethical concerns. The study contextualizes AI companions and virtual sex within broader social and technological shifts, revealing implications for identity, consent, emotional fulfillment, and societal norms.

Introduction

The rise of virtual intimacy reflects a profound shift in how people approach romance and companionship, increasingly mediated by technology. Emerging “assisted intimacy”—essentially artificial intimacy enabled by immersive and customizable technologies—offers new forms of connection. Observations in adult-themed VR environments reveal unprecedented sexual and emotional exploration beyond traditional boundaries, meeting users’ intimate needs. However, emerging forms raise safety, consent, vulnerability, and privacy concerns. This project—Stimulated Reality—goes beyond surface examinations of VR sex to probe anxieties about loneliness and evolving intimacy perceptions in technologized contexts. AI companionship and erotic gig economy trends underscore the need for a broad, deep understanding of these cultural shifts.

Research Question

How do immersive virtual environments and AI-assisted intimacy technologies reshape digital-native generations’ desires for intimacy and companionship, and what are the societal implications of relying on these technologies?

Significance and Scope

The study is:

• Feasible: Focused on accessible, current VR and AI platforms with observable user engagement.

• Interesting: Relevant to rapid tech advances shaping personal relationships.

• Novel: Bridges psychological, social, and technological perspectives on intimacy.

• Ethical: Addresses participant privacy and psychological well-being.

• Relevant and Manageable: Concentrates on virtual intimacy’s sociocultural implications, fitting within graduate research constraints.

Background: Virtual Intimacy and Societal Implications

Virtual intimacy encompasses sexual and emotional connections mediated by technology, notably in Meta’s Horizon Worlds, a VR social platform with explicit adult content areas (“Mature Worlds”). Despite an 18+ age restriction, minors access these spaces with limited moderation, leading to documented abuse cases and virtual sexual harassment. Safety mechanisms exist but remain insufficient. Broader societal concerns include the potential use of VR platforms for trafficking recruitment and exploitation. Meanwhile, AI companions offer emotional support, with users developing deep attachments to chatbots, questioning the nature of intimacy and companionship. The research situates these phenomena within ongoing shifts in digital-native socialization and technology-mediated affect.

About the author and media methods used

As technology rapidly transforms how we connect, Robb Montgomery’s 2025 research paper Stimulated Reality: Virtual Intimacy and the Anthropology of the Metaverse offers a timely, deeply insightful exploration of virtual intimacy in VR and AI environments. Published in the Journal of Visual and Media Anthropology (Vol. 9, 2025), this study dives into the profound societal shifts as digital-native generations embrace immersive virtual environments and AI-assisted companionship to fulfill emotional needs.

Montgomery uses a mixed-methods qualitative approach, including virtual ethnography and interviews, to examine platforms like Meta’s Horizon Worlds, where users engage in adult-themed virtual spaces and AI chatbots that become emotional companions. His findings reveal both empowering potentials—such as safe spaces for self-expression and emotional support—and significant challenges, including privacy risks, safety concerns, and ethical dilemmas around consent and exploitation.

An essential part of Montgomery’s work is the accompanying eight-minute prototype film Stimulated Reality, filmed entirely within Horizon Worlds. This machinima offers a compelling visual account that brings the research to life, illustrating the complex realities of virtual intimacy.

Stimulated Reality: Immersive VR Filmmaking and New Research on AI and Virtual Sex in Digital-Native Generations

About the author and media methods used

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