Generative AI is controversial for myriad reasons, but the ease with which it can be used to swipe other creators' content is one of the earliest and most prominent — as an unsettling post on X showed.
User Michael (@TheMG3D), an artist and vocal critic of generative AI, shared a reel demonstrating how the technology can both steal creators' content and speed run a scam.
Another example of Gen AI being used to scam others pic.twitter.com/7EKWVUItcM
— Michael (@TheMG3D) March 31, 2026
Originally shared by Instagram user SuperAtomicShop (@SuperAtomicShop), the brief clip was a "stitch" that contrasted the creator's original video with a nearly identical version swiped by a fly-by-night dropshipping operation.
"Who is that? Uh, because it's not me. But it is my torch, my studio, and my clothes," the shop owner began.
"This account stole my reel making fun of AI and replaced me. With AI. And they're trying to sell jewelry with it. Temu jewelry, mind you," she continued.
"F*** AI."
Strangely, this isn't the only instance of high-profile face replacement blamed on AI that has happened recently.
Instagram creator Tatiana Elizabeth (@TatianaElizabethh) was equally horrified to discover that another creator had appropriated one of her selfies and used photo-editing or AI tools to place their own head on her body.
Intellectual property — from user-generated content on social media to the published works of major authors — was among the earliest major controversies concerning generative AI. The models were trained on copyrighted material, among other data sets.
Absent compensation and lost revenue have been recurring themes as people have adopted AI more widely, and the issue didn't stay limited to people in creative careers for long.
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Commenters on X shared the original poster's chagrin.
"Gen ai is only capable of theft. Everyone should be enraged at all times at it," one wrote.
"I hope it's highly illegal. This is happening to MULTIPLE people, and it is frightening," another replied.
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