Podcast Summary: The 404 Media Podcast

Episode: "Creators Worry Porn Platform Is Falling Into ‘AI Psychosis’"

Date: January 28, 2026
Hosts: Joseph, Sam Cole, Emanuel Maiberg, Jason Koebler

Overview

This episode of the 404 Media Podcast dives into two major stories:

1. A deep investigation into the strange, AI-influenced behavior of the ManyVids porn platform and its CEO, which is raising alarm among creators who depend on the site for their livelihoods.
2. An exposé on the disappearance of critical ICE surveillance footage during a period of alleged abuse, and the sketchy circumstances around its management by a little-known contractor.

The tone is investigative and irreverent, with the hosts blending sharp commentary, expert insight, and direct quotes from sources and official documents.

Main Story: ManyVids and the “AI Psychosis” Concerns

Introduction to ManyVids and Its Founder

• [03:11] ManyVids is described as a longstanding, OnlyFans-competitor porn platform, focused on subscriptions, custom videos, and cam shows, especially for independent sex workers.
• [03:47] CEO and founder Bella French, herself a former sex worker, positioned the platform around supporting and empowering creators. As Sam explains, “She was like, ‘I can do it better, I can do it more with the interests of creators in mind.’”

The Shift in Communications

• [08:46] In August/September, posts by Bella and ManyVids on both Twitter/X and their in-site news feed began to change. Instead of routine creator spotlights or site updates, there was a flood of:
  • Pseudo-spiritual and New Age business language (“Our purpose is to protect feminine energy to return the balance…”)
  • Engagement-bait and cryptic lists (e.g., “the boldness scale”)
  • AI-generated images and videos (aliens, mystical themes)
  • Flowcharts and bullet points clearly resembling ChatGPT outputs
• Sam observes: “It got really like pseudo spiritual business guru type stuff... it stopped being consistently, ‘here’s a new creator!’... instead, it’s like, here’s a flowchart hand-drawn, next to bullet points written by ChatGPT, about member verification flows.”

[11:04] The posts include visual indicators of AI use: “Titles are randomly bolded, there’s a lot of bullet point emojis, choppy text, AI-generated images and videos... literal screenshots of ChatGPT.”

Attempts to Get Clarity

• Sam repeatedly contacted ManyVids for comment and direct answers about whether these posts were AI-generated or who was responsible. The replies were “more of the same... more very woo woo stuff.”
• Despite not having concrete proof all posts are AI-generated, the pattern matches classic ChatGPT style, and creators have started coining the phrase “AI psychosis” to describe the odd transformation.

Key Quote [13:34] (Emanuel):
“Our sources defined or described the post as exhibiting what we now call AI psychosis... imagine one day you look at your phone and Stripe starts posting about the spirit gods and the future of humanity and you’re like, oh my God, our entire income relies on this platform and its CEO is posting like this... It’s a very fair concern to raise.”

Escalation: CEO’s Radical Change & Public Statements

• [17:18] Bella French changed her personal website bio in late 2025, expressing a new goal of “transitioning 1 million people out of the adult industry” and arguing the industry is exploitative.

• This is a 180° shift from her years-long stance supporting sex work and its workers.

  Key Quote [18:12] (Sam):
  “On her personal website, she changed her bio to completely shift her ideology... she says she wants to transition 1 million people out of the adult industry... If you’re a creator, you’re like: ‘OK, well, that’s the end of this site.’”

• The new talking points echo “sex work exclusionary radical feminists” and anti-porn crusaders, stoking creator fears for the site’s future.

• [19:14] More recent posts double down: “yeah, we believe in aliens, peace sign, heart emoji, and the Lex Fridman and Joe Rogan stuff.” Bella even said the only way to clarify is a three-hour podcast on Joe Rogan or Lex Fridman’s show.

Impact on Creators

• [21:21] Most creators Sam spoke with initially planned to “wait and see,” but as the posts grew ever more erratic, some changed their minds within days, planning to archive and remove their content, citing discomfort and lack of trust due to the platform’s instability.
  • “I don’t feel comfortable having my financial data and my ID... wrapped up in a platform that is seeming to lose touch with reality. It’s a scary place to be right now.”
• Many are undecided, weighing risk of lost income if they leave versus personal and financial safety if they stay.

Wider Questions: AI Psychosis as a Social Phenomenon

• [23:42] Discussion about whether “AI psychosis”—delusional, incoherent thinking patterns seemingly emergent from overuse of generative AI, especially chatbots or LLMs—is a new tech-adjacent risk, especially in powerful hands (platform CEOs, etc.).

• The hosts note growing examples of public “AI-induced” meltdowns, and that the phenomenon might be more widespread but less visible.

• Sam notes: “It’s like, using chatbots is inducing delusions in some people that maybe they were already prone to… it makes me wonder how many people are going through this in isolation…”

  Key Quote [26:36] (Emanuel, drily):
  “If you’re the CEO of a major AI company, it’s not a delusion, it’s like a fundraising rant.”

Memorable/Revealing Moments

• Sam describing the responses from ManyVids:
  “Even when I’m emailing many vids and I’m like, hey, people are freaked out. They just kind of keep going and they’re like, yeah, we believe in aliens. Like, what are you talking about?” [25:38]

• Bella French on needing a Rogan/Fridman podcast for an “official” explanation:
  “The only way to properly respond to this is a three hour podcast…” [15:56]

Second Story: ICE Surveillance Footage Disappears Amid Abuse Lawsuit

The Case Context

• [32:07] (Jason) Lawsuit by detainees held in overcrowded, squalid ICE facility in Broadview, IL during October 2025, seeking surveillance footage as evidence of alleged widespread abuses.
  • “This is like a big giant shit show... Broadview is a place where people are supposed to be processed and not held overnight... but they were being kept there for weeks... allegedly in horrendous conditions.”
  • Conditions alleged: Lack of food/water, extreme temperatures, filth, abusive guards (class action suit led by ACLU & MacArthur Justice Center).

The Missing Footage – Timeline of Changing Stories

• [34:24] Surveillance footage from the critical period, Oct 20-31, 2025, is missing.
  • First explanation: “irretrievably destroyed.”
  • Weeks later: “a system crash deleted the footage.”
  • Now: Government says, “the footage is not missing, it was never recorded in the first place... the surveillance cameras were not even running for 11 days during this critical period.”

Investigation into Responsibility and Obfuscation

• The responsibility for surveillance was outsourced to an obscure one-person company called “5 by 5 Management”—there is “basically no information about them on the internet.”

• This single contractor failed to keep the system running for nearly two weeks—without ICE or DHS noticing—during the most crucial period.

• When asked to help recover server data, “5 by 5” demanded additional funds and full legal immunity from liability before even attempting data recovery—an outrageous and likely illegal position.

  Key Quote [40:38] (Jason):
  “If you get subpoenaed, if you’re part of a court case like this, you can’t be like, pay me money or I’m not doing it... it was your job to keep this online in the first place.”

Legal and Political Implications

• The judge is skeptical of the government’s excuses, pushing for real explanations.
• DHS is now arguing the footage “wouldn’t be relevant” even if it existed, because conditions have (allegedly) improved—an argument the hosts describe as “crazy.”
• The mess highlights:
  • Dangers of privatizing critical surveillance to unaccountable micro-contractors.
  • Limits of proposed reforms like body cameras for accountability:
    “In this case... the entity controlling this footage is a third party random contractor and they lost it...” [45:02]
  • Even when a judge orders evidence to be produced, agencies may stall, lose, or spin-doctor the entire process.

Notable Quote [46:51]

• "It’s a really strange phenomenon, because you’d think body cams would be a good mechanism of accountability, but... studies point in the other direction." (Joseph)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------|------------| | Zine Announcement | 00:41-02:26| | Intro to ManyVids & CEO/Bella French | 03:11-08:21| | The Strange Shift in Posts | 08:46-12:31| | AI Psychosis: Reactions and Theories | 12:31-17:18| | New Anti-Sex Work Stance & Fallout | 17:18-19:14| | Creator Responses | 21:21-23:42| | Broader Meaning of "AI Psychosis" | 23:42-26:49| | ICE Surveillance Footage Case | 32:07-34:24| | "Lost", then "Never Recorded" Footage | 34:24-36:06| | The "5 by 5" Contractor Disaster | 36:06-40:49| | Judge’s Reactions & Political Context | 42:03-46:51|

Final Thoughts

This episode blends deep-dive reporting, industry insider access, and sharp media analysis to reveal how digital platforms—and those running them—can profoundly, sometimes irrationally, affect thousands of livelihoods. The “AI psychosis” saga at ManyVids rings alarm bells not just for the sex industry, but for any community at the mercy of erratic tech leadership, particularly as generative AI seeps into everything. Meanwhile, the ICE surveillance story is an object lesson in the perils of privatized accountability and the fragility of the systems meant to protect the vulnerable.

Memorable quote to sum up the tone:
“Even when I’m emailing ManyVids and I’m like, hey, people are freaked out... they’re like, yeah, we believe in aliens. Like, what are you talking about?” – Sam Cole [25:38]

For more stories like these, and to support independent journalism, the hosts remind listeners to subscribe at 404media.co.