## Deepfake Scandal on Instagram: Celebrities Targeted A new wave of AI-generated influencers is flooding Instagram with manipulated images showing them in compromising situations with prominent celebrities. Targets include LeBron James, iShowSpeed, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. One extreme case even involved Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The images, while the result of AI processing, are not labeled as such and push users to paid platforms where the same virtual influencers sell explicit content. This scheme exploits the virality of shocking content to monetize AI-generated pornography. ## The Formula for (Illicit) Success These contents follow a specific pattern: an initial image shows the AI influencer next to the celebrity, often in a smiling selfie. The caption reads: "How it started." Subsequently, the video shows short clips or images after the simulated sexual encounter, with the protagonists sweaty and disheveled. Frequent targets include LeBron James and Johnny Sins, but the list extends to streamers, MMA fighters, and soccer players. What matters is generating engagement, regardless of plausibility. ## Meta Under Fire Despite reports, Meta seems unable or unwilling to stem the phenomenon. Many of these contents reach millions of views. By clicking on the influencer's profile, users are directed to Fanvue, an OnlyFans competitor with more permissive policies towards AI-generated content. Here, the accounts admit to being "AI-generated or enhanced" and sell images and videos. This trend highlights how the creation of provocative AI-generated content has become an established business, with the aim of attracting traffic to paid platforms. In some cases, AI influencers even steal content from real creators, replacing faces with their own. Celebrities, unlike adult content creators, have greater legal tools to defend themselves against the unauthorized use of their image. In the past, LeBron James has already sent cease-and-desist notices to companies that created AI videos concerning him.