A Singapore man, identified only as Luke, discovered that a woman he had not spoken to in 15 years had been using AI-edited photographs to fabricate an elaborate fantasy relationship with him, including fake dates and a pregnancy. The deception, which spanned several years, came to light only after Luke's sister was alerted by a friend who spotted the images on social media.
Luke, who had exchanged no more than a few sentences with the woman during their school days, said the revelation was deeply disturbing. “It is traumatizing to learn that your pictures were used in such an elaborate narrative,” he told The Straits Times. His sister, who posted about the ordeal on Threads, said the family was “very worried and concerned that this stranger has photos and videos of my children stored in her phone and was sharing them online as and when she likes.”
The fabricated posts depicted Luke and the woman on dates, and included AI-generated images of him holding a newborn baby. The woman also claimed she had been in a relationship with Luke since 2011, that she was pregnant with his child, and that they were engaged to be married in December. According to Luke's sister, the woman even sent out wedding invitations and ordered a cake from a local bakery for the imaginary baby.
The harassment escalated when the woman used photos of Luke's sister's children—her son, niece, and nephew—in the fabricated narrative. This prompted the family to stop posting images of the kids online. “Now we are so paranoid and so scared to post anything about the kids,” the sister wrote.
AI's Role in Fueling Obsessive Behavior
This case is among a growing number of incidents where generative AI tools have been used to facilitate stalking and harassment. Journalist Taylor Lorenz has publicly described being targeted by a stalker who used OpenAI's Sora video generation tool to create videos of her, which were then posted across hundreds of social media accounts. In several lawsuits, women have alleged that their stalkers were encouraged by conversations with AI chatbots.
Luke's sister expressed shock at the extent of the deception, writing on social media, “We are still in so much shock that a person is capable to do all of this with the help of AI. Shows how much AI can ruin a person's life literally.” She added, “She was abusing the power of AI like mad. I know the moment she found out about AI she was the happiest person on earth case she can finally do crazy sh*t like this.”
The incident underscores the urgent need for platforms and lawmakers to address the misuse of AI-generated content. While tech companies have introduced some safeguards, such as watermarking and detection tools, these measures are often insufficient against determined abusers. For victims like Luke and his family, the psychological toll is immense, and the fear of further harassment remains.