Representatives for actress Mia Goth have voiced strong criticism regarding Instagram's handling of an artificial intelligence-generated image that circulated widely on the platform. The image, which depicted Goth wearing a T-shirt with the slogan "MY EX IS MY BIGGEST FAN," appeared shortly after news broke of her divorce from Shia LaBeouf.
Christine Tripicchio, a representative for Goth, confirmed that the actress does not maintain any social media accounts. The AI-generated photograph was posted by a verified fan account, @miagoth_, which had amassed over one million followers. This account's verified status, coupled with the image's timing, led some media outlets to report on it as if it were an authentic personal statement from Goth.
"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," Tripicchio stated in a release. Goth's team had reportedly filed multiple complaints with Instagram requesting the removal of the fan account due to its continued publication of counterfeit AI images. The representative also expressed concern that the fan account met Instagram's criteria for a verification badge, calling the situation "disconcerting on a fundamental level."
Meta, Instagram's parent company, stated that the account was removed for impersonating a public figure. The platform does not categorically prohibit AI depictions of real people but instead labels such content. However, the absence of an AI label does not guarantee an image's authenticity, highlighting a potential gap in content moderation. The @miagoth_ account has since been removed from the platform.
This incident follows a pattern of AI-generated content causing confusion and misinformation. In a separate case from 2024, Scarlett Johansson expressed surprise after Sam Altman of ChatGPT created an AI voice that sounded similar to hers, despite her declining to voice the system herself.