A viral image depicting actress Mia Goth wearing a T-shirt referencing her divorce rapidly spread across the web after being posted on Instagram. However, the content was revealed to be artificial intelligence.
The controversy began shortly after news broke that Mia Goth had filed for divorce from actor Shia LaBeouf. A post from the miagoth_ account, which displayed a blue verified checkmark, quickly gained traction.
The image showed Goth in a shirt reading "MY EX IS MY BIGGEST FAN" and included the song "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." The post received hundreds of thousands of likes, and entertainment outlets such as OK! and People treated it as authentic before the truth emerged.
"Mia Goth does not have ownership of, nor does she engage in social media on any platform. We have filed multiple complaints with Instagram to remove the verified fan account which continues to post counterfeit, AI images of Mia Goth," Christine Tripicchio, a representative for Goth, told The Verge in an email. "The fact that this fan account meets Instagram’s criteria to qualify for a ‘blue check’ is disconcerting on a fundamental level. Beyond that, it is incomprehensible that Instagram evidently prioritizes the dissemination of forged and manipulated images over the protection and integrity of a public figure’s likeness."
Although the miagoth_ account was labeled as fan-run, the blue checkmark caused confusion among users who assumed the page was official; the account had over a million followers.
Meta began selling blue checkmarks several years ago, allowing fan pages to secure verification badges even if they were not operated by the person depicted. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the account was reportedly removed by Tuesday morning.
Meta has adopted a policy of labeling some generative AI content, such as photorealistic videos, but exempts still images from this requirement. AI-generated content featuring real people often generates millions of views, and Meta executives have signaled that AI will be central to future engagement.
Entertainers including musicians and actors have long raised concerns about their likenesses being used in AI. In 2024, Scarlett Johansson noted that OpenAI used a soundalike voice for ChatGPT despite her refusal to participate, while Taylor Swift cited AI-generated images in her endorsement of Kamala Harris to highlight the need to combat misinformation.
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