The Viral Deepfake
News broke that actress Mia Goth had filed for divorce from actor and filmmaker Shia LaBeouf. An Instagram post from the account miagoth_ marked with a blue verified checkmark quickly spread across social media platforms.
Representatives Criticize Instagram Over AI Likeness Spread
A viral photo purporting to show Mia Goth in a T-shirt seemingly referencing her divorce spread from Instagram across the web. It was artificial intelligence.
The post shows Goth in a T-shirt that reads MY EX IS MY BIGGEST FAN in bold black letters, accompanied by a music track. Hundreds of thousands of users liked the image, and various entertainment outlets wrote about it as if it were authentic before screenshots were shared widely.
Concerns Over Verification
According to Goth’s representatives, the image was artificial intelligence-generated and posted by an account they had repeatedly asked Instagram to remove.
Representatives stated that Goth does not engage in social media on any platform. They expressed concern that the fan account met criteria to qualify for a blue checkmark, describing it as incomprehensible that the platform allowed forged and manipulated images to spread over protecting a public figure's likeness.
Platform Policies on AI
While the account was labeled as fan-run, the blue checkmark previously signaled an official entity, causing confusion for followers. Meta allows accounts to secure verified badges through paid programs even if they are not run by the person depicted.
A Meta spokesperson confirmed that the miagoth_ account was ultimately removed for impersonating a public figure.
Rather than banning artificial intelligence-generated content of real people entirely, Meta labels some content created with generative systems. However, rules include a carve-out where labels are not required for still images, and executive leadership has signaled that artificial intelligence content will remain a key part of platform engagement.
Broader Industry Reactions
Entertainers have repeatedly raised concerns regarding their likenesses being utilized for generative artificial intelligence. Previous high-profile instances involved disputes over voice models and unauthorized synthetic imagery used around political events.
Update, October 13th: Added response from Meta.
Correction, October 13th: Clarified in headline that the statement came from Goth’s representatives.
