A woman was horrified to find AI-generated pictures of her on Reddit and took to social media to issue a PSA.
In a viral video that has amassed over 1.5 million views, TikTok user Jewel (@jewelspringer) explained how she discovered the images and warned others to protect themselves from having their data stolen.
” Scary stuff and scary people,” the clip’s caption read. “Stay safe out there.”
Jewel said her goal for sharing her experience is to potentially help others who may fall victim to this kind of predatory behavior.
” I just wanted to come on here and talk about something that happened to me in case it could help somebody in the future and have it not happen to them,” the woman began in the video.
She said that months earlier, she had received a direct message from a man asking if she had recently posted on Reddit. Jewel said she thought the message was a hoax or a bad attempt at being flirty, so she decided to ignore it. She said months later, she received yet another message from the man warning her that her photos had been uploaded to a popular message board site.
” Hey, I’m really sorry to bother you. I just want to let you know that somebody leaked your stuff on Reddit,” the man’s message reportedly read.
“There’s nothing to leak. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the woman said she responded.
However, Jewel said the man would not back down. According to the TikToker, he explained that he worked for a company that used facial recognition technology to uncover photos that do not belong on Reddit and similar sites.
“We found an image with your face on it, and I don’t know if it’s real or if it’s AI-generated,” he reportedly continued.
Jewel said he also wondered if she or a friend posted it to the website and warned that it was very inappropriate.
“He sent me a photo of me naked in the mirror,” she said. “And it was AI-generated.”
@jewelspringer Scary stuff and scary people, stay safe out there!
♬ original sound – Jewel
Somebody had taken one of her images and digitally altered it so she no longer had on any clothes, Jewel said.
“They took my bikini off in AI and gave me AI-generated kibbles and bits,” she added.
Jewel felt like the entire ordeal was “very shady,” including the man who reached out to her. She said she was also stunned that the person who edited the photo changed her hair color but felt very distraught by the fact that the photos looked incredibly realistic.
“I just want people to be aware that that’s going on,” she said.
The TikToker said it was especially strange that her photos were targeted because she does not have very many followers on social media.
“The internet is a really scary place, and there’s a lot of scary stuff going on,” she concluded. “This really shook me up, and I just want everybody to be safe.”
In the comments section, viewers agreed the entire ordeal was terrifying.
“Black mirror. This is so scary,” one wrote.
“AI is our biggest nightmare dude,” a second said.
“I’ve seen these AI fakes on twitter they’re so realistic and it’s soooo scary,” another viewer added.
The Daily Dot reached out to Reddit via email and Jewel by TikTok comment for more information.
