NSFW AI Content. How ”Not Safe For Work” NightCafe Really Is

Chances are you've stumbled across one of the famous web tools out there for generating images: NightCafe. This creation by programmer Anthony Sillup has a unique feature. It will generate eye-catching NSFW artwork that other AIs shy away from.

There are three rockstar image generators out there: MidJourney, DALL-E, and Stable Diffusion. None of them are great at intimacy. To be perfectly frank, the three probably never saw a nude in their lives. Night Cafe has been around (but, to be clear: not too far from home).

No, NightCafe is not exactly an AI that generates XXX or gore images. It is slightly more comfortable with nudity and does horror better than the educational AIs. If you want to understand how far NightCafe will go, it can generate a good 80s album cover for the more popular rock bands. You probably saw more violence in a Tom & Jerry cartoon.

AI's Relationship With Explicit Content

The CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, said in front of Congress this year:

"You have to be 18 or up or have your parents’ permission at 13 and up to use their product. But we understand that people get around those safeguards all the time. And so what we try to do is just design a safe product."

AIs in general thread carefully, especially around nudity and violence. Users risk getting banned for slightly more suggestive prompts that could be interpreted as inappropriate. To make sure their platforms are fit for children, developers have a very strict policy. AI systems err on the side of caution and have very strict content moderation.

Just to make it clear, among the words that will get you banned in MidJourney are: boudoir, pinup, hemoglobin, seductive, transparent, and (ha!) invisible clothes.

The NightCafe Approach

Just like every other AI, NightCafe prioritizes a safe environment. They don’t outright ban users and will grant artists a bit of creative freedom. However, NightCafe does have some limitations. You can try your luck at generating NSFW images, but for the most part, overt nudity (full frontal, porn, etc.) will not generate. They don't get you banned, but the AI will blur any result that triggers the system as being NSFW. There is still plenty of artistic nudity to be found.

When it comes to Not Safe For Work content, NightCafe allows some, as long as it’s appropriately marked by the creator.

"The guideline for what to mark as NSFW is anything that would give a movie or TV show an M15+ rating," the Terms of Service explain.

Users need to mark as NSFW any type of nudity, including artistic nudity or violent content, swear words or adult themes, illegal activities, and depictions of drugs.

Don’t Get Too Excited

While NightCafe will not immediately slap users with a ban, they have a very long list of prohibited language. Users generally need to get creative when it comes to generating explicit or non-PG content.

For example, while gore is accepted on the platform, the AI will blur images with prompts that contain the words blood, or bleeding. "I was making some deathcore album artwork, I tried typing "dripping blood" and said it's banned, but typing dripping crimson worked," a redditor explains. "Instead of Stalin you can use Stalinesque dictator, which is what this censorship reminds me of," the tread continues.

The AI will also get particularly cautious around terms like "girl" and "young girl," regardless of how innocent the prompt is in fact. It’s not particularly wrong for the AI to be extra cautious. AIs are unpredictable creatures. Developers would much rather have hairline triggers than run the risk of generating regrettable content.

What Else Does Nightcafe Have?

NightCafe is actually a great generative AI with a lot of tweaking and a great community. The real selling point of this AI is not even the NSFW content. The platform comes in the form of a unique social network-like platform, where users, much like on Instagram, can post the images they generate and ask for feedback. This creates a great teaching ground for users to exchange prompt recipes, discuss ideas, and comment on each other’s work. The platform holds daily creative contests and will award users for positive interactions with each other.

You may come for the NSFW content, but you’ll stay for the community.