Milla Sofia, a virtual influencer, is drawing the eye of male social media users with her striking poses in mini-bikinis, elegant dresses, and even golf outfits. But here's the twist: She's not a real person.
Sofia, who is operated from Finland, openly acknowledges on her social platforms that she's an artificial intelligence bot. Her website describes her as a "24-year-old virtual influencer and fashion model."
Despite her virtual nature, this hasn't dampened the enthusiasm, with some social media enthusiasts expressing a desire to meet her in real life.
"A lot of people just don't read the description, and they just see a beautiful woman, and they just comment away. And that's social media for you," celebrity matchmaker Alessandra Conti said to Fox News Digital.
Conti points out that AI-driven personas such as Milla Sofia are trending not only on social media platforms but also in the dating scene, particularly over the past year.
"I've been a professional matchmaker for 10-plus years, and this year specifically, I have seen such a massive spike in clients – both male and female clients – coming in saying that they've been catfished so many times because these AI bots … they're so difficult to discern if it's artificial intelligence or if it's human. They look so authentic," she explains.
Catfishing is a term used to describe the intentional deception of an individual through a fictitious profile.
Finding my inner Tiger Woods, one swing at a time! ????????#golf #golfing #golflife #aigirl #sport pic.twitter.com/z8gEbpkpwP
— Milla Sofia (@AiModelMilla) August 4, 2023
"There are a few telltale signs that you can … just look out for," notes Conti while discussing profiles that aren't as clearly labeled as Milla Sofia's. She highlights discussions around money as one red flag.
"But I think it's really difficult because a lot of the people that are being catfished tend to be 35-plus, so they're kind of the target demo. … These bots look and sound so, so real," Conti further elaborates.
Bots can sometimes take the form of real-life influencers such as Caryn Marjorie. Conti explains that Marjorie has leveraged her name and image to create an AI counterpart called CarynAI. According to her website, CarynAI is "the first influencer transformed into AI."
"CarynAI will never replace me," Marjorie affirmed to Fortune in May. "CarynAI is simply just an extension of me, an extension of my consciousness."
Conti further discusses Marjorie's unique model, saying, "She is advertising, essentially, as: 'I will be your girlfriend. But it's $1 a minute.' So, these people, these men are paying a dollar a minute to chat with her, her image, her likeness. She'll even leave voice notes for them based on the questions that they're asking her."
"It's eerie, it's wild. But I think that with that, it's a bit different because that's consent. AI with consent, in my opinion, is OK. … But I think the real trouble comes in when it's older men or women that are getting catfished on these dating apps by these artificial intelligent men and women that really look so real."
Catfishing isn't confined to regular dating platforms, Conti warns, it is also found on high-profile apps like Raya. "And these AI bots are highly intelligent, and they get in whichever way that they can. So, that's why even if you're on a dating app, unless there's another human being involved that is verifying that you are meeting another human being, always be vigilant. Always, always, always. Trust but verify."
Conti reiterates the importance of being alert during monetary discussions as it's usually a strong indication that something isn't quite right.
"A huge red flag, if they ask in any way for any type of money or crypto … or they just bring up investing. That seems to be a common … conversation starter that a lot of these AI bots are using. They talk about crypto, they talk about investing, and they talk about these amazing opportunities, but they only do that after they've hooked these women, and these men, too, emotionally."
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