This network of AI thirst traps repeatedly promoted a gambling website

AI slop takes many forms, but a particularly popular manifestation is that of the improbably endowed and scantily clad deepfake woman.

Instagram decided long ago that these accounts are welcome on its platform, even though many do not disclose that they are synthetic.

AI thirst traps are for the most part harmless. But as these types of accounts multiply and their follower numbers grow, they appear to be getting more creative in their pursuit of engagement and monetization. 

The standard approach, flogged by many a side-hustle grifter, is to build a large Instagram following then channel horny men to a Fanvue account where they can purchase nude images of their AI crush. 

But, perhaps because of the glut of such content, the AI thirst traps of Instagram are diversifying. They now post celebrity sighting pictures. Porny Trump fan fiction. And so on.

In yet another variation, I found 23 Instagram accounts with more than 2 million total followers that appeared to be promoting the gambling website 1win. The accounts didn’t link out to the 1win website, which is restricted in several countries including the United States. Instead, the ‘models’ placed a 1win logo prominently on their clothes.

Alexandra J. Roberts, a professor of law and media at Northeastern University School of Law, told Indicator that “if these accounts were being paid by 1win to put the company’s logo on their content without disclosing a paid relationship, that violates advertising regulations in the US.”

Instagram removed 21 of the 23 accounts that I sent over. A Meta spokesperson told me that the accounts violated the platform’s Authentic Identity Representation policy, which prohibits engaging in “identity misrepresentation to mislead or deceive others, evade enforcement, or violate our Community Standards.” The company also pointed me to their policies on branded content; among other things, these require both the brand and the creators to “receive written permission from Facebook to promote real money gambling.”

The two accounts that remain on the platform at this time continue to post videos that prominently showcase the 1win logo.

Roberts said “it is not the responsibility of the platform to identify sponsored content unless the platform is actually the source of the sponsored content (i.e. if we were talking about an influencer ad for Meta). Some platforms have created frames and various other forms of disclosure to make disclosure easier, but they don’t need to police the use of those tools, and it’s also the case that FTC has stated those tools don’t always meet their more stringent standard.”

19 of the accounts I found clearly used the same prompt templates, had improbable levels of followers in common, and shared other characteristics that indicated they could be operated by the same person.