AI fakes one influencer's image into ads for brands she never endorsed
single source · 1 articles · society · confidence: high · first seen 2026-09-12 12:00 UTC
The Guardian reports that a digitally altered car selfie from years ago became the basis for a fake sponsored Instagram ad in which lifestyle blogger Emily Schuman, who runs Cupcakes and Cashmere and has more than 500,000 followers, appeared to hold a GLP-1 vial and endorse telehealth company Gala. She had never heard of Gala. After followers asked about the sponsorship, she found a second fake post with an AI version of her applying foundation to promote Meroda Cosmetics, and TikTok posts with generated images promoting blood-testing company Superpower.
What this means for you
If you manage influencer accounts or buy sponsored posts, verify that every ad using a creator's image was actually approved by them. The fakes here are convincing enough that followers noticed before any platform did.
Key facts
- ·Emily Schuman has more than 500,000 Instagram followers. source
- ·A fake sponsored Instagram ad showed her holding a GLP-1 vial for telehealth company Gala, which she had never heard of. source
- ·The fake ad used a digitally altered selfie she posted in her car years earlier. source
- ·Another fake post showed an AI version of Schuman with darker hair applying foundation for Meroda Cosmetics. source
- ·TikTok posts showed generated images of her promoting blood-testing company Superpower. source
What the sources say
- The Guardian AI (press) — Profiles one influencer's discovery of AI-generated endorsements for brands she never worked with, such as Gala and Meroda.
Sources
The original reporting. Follow these — they did the work.
- The Guardian AIDeepfakes are wrecking influencers’ credibility, one fake ad at a time2026-09-12