An influencer recently accused a company of using an AI-generated lookalike of hers in one of their advertisements.
Content creator Melanie Kieback took to social media on February 25 and alleged that a fashion brand, which she did not name, had created an “AI twin” of hers to promote their products.
Known online as Mel, Kieback is a photographer, blogger, and model from Berlin with more than 565,000 Instagram followers.
Highlights
- Content creator Melanie Kieback accused a fashion brand of using her image and likeness to create an AI-generated model.
- Kieback pointed out the similarities between her old photoshoot and the shots from the brand’s advertisement.
- Her followers urged her to pursue the matter legally and take the brand to court.
“You can take legal action,” one of her followers said under her post.
The influencer shared a side-by-side comparison of herself and the allegedly AI-made model
Image credits: vanellimelli030/TikTok
Kieback started the video by revealing that a friend had sent her an advertisement of a fashion brand and “something about it felt very, very familiar.”
She went on to share the frames in the advertisement that were similar to modeling photos of her from 2023. She showed side-by-side shots of herself and the model in the ad wearing similar outfits: black boots, gray jeans, a gray T-shirt, a white skirt, and a black jacket.
Image credits: vanellimelli030/TikTok
Even the hairstyle seemed to have been copied.
“They updated my hair,” Kieback pointed out. “When these photos were taken in 2023, I still had my mullet. So we’re even more accurate now.”
“They changed the face a little bit. Look at the eye color,” she said, zooming in on two sets of blue eyes, one hers and the other the model’s. “Look at the eyebrows and the freckles. This little bump I have on my nose. What do you mean? This is wild.”
Image credits: vanellimelli030/TikTok
“They say imitation is the highest form of flattery… but I don’t feel flattered,” Kieback wrote in the caption of the video. “This can’t be the future and should not be normalized.”
Several influencers have accused brands of using AI-generated lookalikes
Kieback is not the first content creator to accuse a company of using AI versions of themselves to promote their products.
In April 2025, Arielle Lorre alleged that Skaind, a popular skincare brand, had created an AI-generated video of her for a paid Instagram ad. The video featured a woman who looked strikingly similar to her, with similar hair and facial features, talking about the brand on a podcast.
Lorre revealed on her platform that after she reached out to Skaind, they apologized and said that their marketing team created an avatar using artificial intelligence.
“We want to clarify that at no time was it our intention to use your image or voice without authorization,” the screenshot Lorre shared read. “Our marketing team accessed this content through an artificial intelligence platform without being aware that it was a recognized person or with image rights.”
Image credits: Molly Baz
However, Lorre noted that their claim did not hold up, as the AI-generated video used a template similar to her podcast design and even included photos of her boyfriend.
Image credits: Shopify
Similarly, in September 2025, food influencer and cookbook author Molly Baz accused Shopify of using an AI-altered image of her as a website theme. She claimed it was eerily similar to the cover art of her cookbook, More Is More: Get Loose in the Kitchen.
“Shopify is using a s*cko AI version of me to sell its new website themes,” she wrote on Instagram. “Shame, shame.”
Shopify took down the template after Baz’s accusation.
Melanie Kieback’s fans urged her to sue the brand
Image credits: vanellimelli030/TikTok
Kieback’s followers were infuriated and voiced their anger in the comments, with many urging her to take legal action.
“You should shame the brand publicly,” one said. “No laughing matter, can you take legal action?” another asked.
Image credits: vanellimelli030/TikTok
“Who is the company and where are the lawyers for this?” one more wrote. One individual pointed out, “THEY OWE YOU SO MUCH MONEY.”
“What the actual f**k is happening in this episode of Black Mirror,” said another content creator, referring to the dystopian TV series.
Model Alliance, a New York-based nonprofit organization that advances workers' rights in the fashion industry, wrote: “You have rights under the Fashion Workers Act. Let us know if we can help.”
Image credits: vanellimelli030/TikTok
they say imitation is the highest form of flattery… but i don’t feel flattered. this can’t be the future and should not be normalized. 🚫What do you guys think?
One person, who claimed they were a lawyer and law professor, said, “Because this claim involves commercial use for an advertisement, this is one of the rare situations where AI twins are actionable under the law under state right of publicity law.”
"AI is just legalized theft": Netizens were up in arms after influencer Melanie Kieback's accusation
