"If You Pay, I'll Send Nudes" Woman Turns Out to Be AI Fake

'Fake Images' Created by US Computer Science Students
"Didn't Expect This Success... Earned 130,000 Won"

A woman named 'Claudia,' who once sparked a heated reaction in English-speaking online communities, has been revealed to be a fake created by artificial intelligence (AI), causing shock. Two university students who created Claudia reportedly contacted some netizens via private messages and sold 'fake nude photos.'

The US media outlet Washington Post (WP) focused on the mysterious woman Claudia, who gained popularity on Reddit, the largest English-speaking online community, on the 12th (local time).

Claudia was a female Reddit user active since January, who gained fame mainly by posting her 'selfie' photos. As interest grew within the community, Claudia sent private messages to netizens who showed interest, proposing, "If you pay money, I will show you more photos."

Two female fakes created by two university students using artificial intelligence (AI). [Image source=Reddit]

Some netizens reportedly transferred money to the accounts Claudia sent without any suspicion. However, they soon became disappointed. The selfies Claudia posted and the nude photos sold for a fee were actually fakes created by AI.

Claudia's true identity was revealed to be two university students majoring in computer science, who used an AI called 'Stable Diffusion,' which converts text into images, to create Claudia. After their identity was exposed, they said, "Honestly, we didn't think it would attract this much attention," and "We earned $100 (about 130,000 KRW) by selling Claudia's photos."

Although the incident has settled for now, it raises ethical questions in the American academic community. Hany Farid, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, told WP, "AI photo generation programs create images based on existing data," expressing concern that "photos of someone who did not consent to their likeness being used can be indiscriminately exploited."

Professor Farid warned, "That itself causes ethical problems," and added, "AI has pros and cons, but the moment it is linked to pornography, the issue becomes more complicated."

As image generation AI technology advances, fake images indistinguishable from real ones are flooding the internet. Recently, a photo of Pope Francis wearing a white long padded jacket and a cross necklace while going out caused a stir, but it was also found to be a fake image created by AI. In March, an AI-generated photo of former US President Donald Trump being forcibly arrested surrounded by police spread on social networking services (SNS).