AI-made Instagram influencers spark debate after viral red carpet posts

In short: AI-generated Instagram influencers are gaining real followers, and a viral “red carpet” image brought new attention and criticism.

What's going on

Several Instagram accounts that look like real male influencers are actually made with generative AI, which is software that can create realistic images and videos from prompts (like giving a computer a detailed script and it draws the scene). One example is “Jae Young Joon,” who has more than 320,000 followers and posts content that looks like everyday life, but his bio says he is “AI generated.”

WIRED reports that Jae was created by Luc Thierry, a Canadian creator. Thierry says he discloses that Jae is not real, but many followers either miss it or act like the character is real anyway. He compares it to following a character from a TV show or a video game.

This week, two other AI characters, “Santos Walker” and “Caleb Ellis,” went viral after “appearing” on the red carpet for the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2. The images triggered backlash, in part because some people thought it was a paid ad arranged with the film studio. WIRED says the creator made the image without the studio’s involvement, like digitally “crashing” an event.

What to watch

The dispute is now about trust and marketing. Even when accounts label themselves as AI-made, people may not notice, and brands may still try to use these characters later because they are fully controlled. There is also renewed criticism that these AI bodies can push unrealistic beauty standards, especially in gay male online spaces.

Source: Wired