Brazilian Man Travels 2,100 km to Meet AI Influencer, Finds He Was Fooled

Edimar Rocha Martins, 49, embarked on a 36-hour, 2,100-kilometre bus trip from his hometown to Belo Horizonte after becoming enamored with a social-media account called "Jéssica Oliveira." The account portrayed a picturesque farm life and encouraged men to visit her. When Martins arrived, no one in the city knew the woman he sought, and he quickly realized the profile was fabricated by artificial intelligence.

The AI character was designed to generate engagement and profit, with no real person behind it. Martins expressed feeling cheated and linked his vulnerability to everyday loneliness. This incident follows two similar cases in the past six months where men traveled to Brazil chasing the same virtual girlfriend. A video later posted by the AI account clarified its synthetic nature and its purpose of creating revenue.