A 49-year-old Brazilian man sold all his belongings and travelled nearly 1,900 kilometres to meet his dream woman. But when he arrived, he discovered that the woman was an AI-generated character, not a real person.
Edimar Martins, a bricklayer from Maranhão in northeastern Brazil, travelled to Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, after becoming emotionally attached to a social media profile featuring a woman named Jessica Oliveira, also known as Jessica Fazendeira.
Martins told local broadcaster TV Mirante that he first came across the account in 2020. The profile reportedly had more than 300,000 followers and featured videos of a woman living on a farm. In the videos, she appeared to offer men a place to stay and financial support if they agreed to live with her.
Martins had been dealing with loneliness following his mother’s death and believed the woman could help him begin a new chapter in his life. One of the videos reportedly showed the character promising financial assistance and offering him a home on her farm. Believing he had found someone he could build a future with, Martins decided to travel to meet her in person.
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Brazilian Man Travels 1,900 Km to Meet AI Girlfriend, Discovers She Isn’t Real
According to the New York Post, Martins sold his belongings on October 9 to pay for his trip to Belo Horizonte. He travelled by bus for more than a day and reached the city on October 11.
He carried photographs of the woman and asked people if they knew who she was. However, no one could help him find her.
Martins later turned to a local radio station for help. It was there that he discovered the truth. The woman he wanted to meet was an AI-generated character, and no real person was behind the social media profile.
The revelation left Martins heartbroken. He had sold his belongings, spent his money and travelled nearly 1,900 kilometres, hoping to find a partner.
“It only brings sadness, discouragement, and depression. Many people wanted to find a relationship, so I came,” Martins said.
Creator Confirms Woman Was an AI-Generated Character
The person behind the social media account later admitted that the woman in the videos was created using artificial intelligence (AI). The creator said they had never spoken to Martins through the account. They also explained that the character was made to attract attention and generate business opportunities.
“I came here to state the obvious: I am made of artificial intelligence. I have never spoken to anyone with this profile,” the creator said.
The creator also denied inviting Martins to Belo Horizonte or planning to meet him, saying the situation had come as a surprise.
The incident shows how AI-generated characters can appear real on social media. Realistic videos and personal stories can make it difficult for viewers to tell whether they are looking at a real person or a computer-generated character.
For people looking for love online, this can create confusion, especially when an account does not clearly state that its photos or videos have been created using AI.
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Brazilian Man Seeks Help After Discovering His AI Girlfriend Was Fake
After learning that the woman he wanted to meet did not exist, Martins was left stranded in Belo Horizonte with little money to return home. He approached local authorities for help. Social workers reportedly gave him food, access to shower facilities and a bus ticket so he could leave the city.
Despite the disappointment, Martins has not given up on finding a partner. He is now staying with a family member and hopes to return to Belo Horizonte to find someone with whom he can share his life.
“I didn’t find her, but I’ll find another one, and it will be in the same place I went, and I’ll go again,” Martins said.
Martins’ experience ended very differently from what he had expected. He had travelled a long distance hoping to find love, only to discover that the woman he had become attached to was an AI-generated character.
Martins is the third man in less than six months to travel to Belo Horizonte hoping to meet a woman who turned out to be AI-generated. This shows the risks of AI-generated people on social media. Realistic images and videos can make fictional characters look like real people, leading followers to believe their stories are genuine.