Influencer admits using AI to create art sold as original illustrations
Influencer Karen Bachini sold illustrations as her own original artwork through a paid monthly subscription service, but admitted under public pressure that she used AI to create them. She later apologized, stating the misrepresentation was wrong.
What happened
Karen Bachini launched a monthly stationery subscription service called Mail Club in June 2026 at R$ 149 per month, promising customers scrapbooking items and personalized illustrations that she presented as her own creations. She stated 'I love art, I live art. I am an artist since I remember myself' in the product launch announcement.
After initial subscribers shared videos of received content online, artists and other content creators began questioning the authenticity of the illustrations, noting stylistic inconsistencies and characteristics common to AI-generated images. Bachini then withdrew from social media for a period.
On July 23, 2026, Bachini published a video admitting she had used artificial intelligence to finalize the drawings sold to subscribers, stating 'I did wrong. When I do wrong, I own up to it. I used AI, yes, to finalize my drawings. It wasn't good. It wasn't pretty. It was very ugly. This has no excuse. I apologize to everyone.'
Reported impact
Subscribers who paid for the Mail Club service received illustrations that were misrepresented as original artwork created by the influencer, undermining their trust in the service and the products delivered.
Index analysis
The incident reflects a deliberate misrepresentation of AI-assisted content as original human artwork in a commercial context, facilitated by the influencer's public claims of artistic authorship and '100% dependence' on her own work.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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