Influencers and online sellers are using artificial intelligence to fake wealth and products at a scale that was impossible just two years ago. According to 404 Media, companies are burning through massive amounts of AI tokens to generate convincing images of items like handmade flowers, jewelry, and home decor, then uploading these images to marketplaces including Etsy, eBay, and Amazon. Influencers are using identical technology to stage fake luxury photos of themselves in expensive cars, designer clothes, and luxury homes, then posting these images to build credibility with their followers.
The reason this is happening now is economics. Creating a single AI image costs less than a rupee. A seller can generate hundreds of fake product images, list them all on different marketplaces, and see which ones attract buyers. If a customer complains or requests a refund, the cost of the deception is already recouped across all the other listings. The probability of getting caught is low because marketplace moderation systems catch obvious fakes but miss subtle ones that look real at first glance.
For influencers, the calculation is even simpler. A fake photo of a wealthy lifestyle costs nothing to create and can be used to sell courses, subscriptions, or advice about getting rich. The follower does not know the car is AI-generated or the house is fake. They see the image, believe the influencer is wealthy, and buy the product or follow the advice. This is called LARPING, a term meaning live action role play, where someone pretends to be someone they are not.
The real damage is to trust. Shoppers used to assume that photos on marketplaces showed real products made by real people. Now every image requires skepticism. Is this handmade? Is this real? Did an actual person take this photo or did an AI generate it? Influencers used to build credibility slowly through consistent posting and real engagement. Now they can fake an entire lifestyle in weeks.
Marketplaces are not moving fast enough to solve this. Amazon and Etsy have moderation teams but they are understaffed relative to the volume of listings. The technology to detect AI-generated images exists but it is not deployed at scale. Meanwhile, the cost of creating fake images continues to fall and the tools become easier to use. The barrier to deception has collapsed to nearly nothing, and ordinary users are paying the price in wasted money and eroded trust.
