An Instagram influencer by the name of Mia Zelu has taken the internet by storm with her recent photo series at Wimbledon — except, she isn’t real.
With flawless skin, long blonde locks, and striking blue eyes, Zelu might appear to be having the time of her life at the London-based tennis Grand Slam. But upon closer inspection, she’s completely AI-generated.
In fact, Zelu’s account bio clarifies that she’s a “digital creator & influencer AI.” While the online personality’s creator is unknown, the account shares content with her more than 160,000 followers on a regular basis.
Her latest post, made Friday, shows her wearing a double-breasted, mint green suit jacket, with her hair coiffed in perfect waves. In most of the pictures, other people can be seen in the background. One of the photos shows a set table with a place card bearing her name.
“They’ll only notice once it works. But you’ll remember every moment it didn’t — and you kept going anyway. To everyone out there building in silence, doubting in private, hoping in secret — don’t stop,” reads the caption.
“To everyone out there building in silence, doubting in private, hoping in secret — don’t stop. Your time will come. Keep showing up. Never give up,” it adds, followed by a trio of hashtags: #tennis #wimbledon #keepbelieving.
Last week, Zelu shared photos of herself sitting courtside at the legendary tennis tournament.
“Which Wimbledon match was your fave?” she asked in the caption.
The online influencer’s first post dates back to March 15. “A little about me: I’m happiest in the sun, I believe coffee tastes better in cute cafés, and I live for cozy hoodies and deep conversations. Now tell me something about you,” the caption reads, alongside a picture of Zelu in a white hoodie, sitting in a living room with a kitten in her lap.
However, she actually made her Instagram debut the day before, in a post with her “sister,” Ana Zelu, another AI-generated influencer who has been active since January 2024.
“[Mia] finally decided to open up her Instagram, so show her some love!” the post said.
Zelu’s creation comes amid a growing wave of AI-generated influencers on social media. Sometimes referred to as virtual influencers, these computer-generated personalities have been around since 2016. Lil Miquela, who currently has over 2.4 million Instagram followers, is considered to be one of the first CGI characters to have joined the platform.
Another popular AI influencer is Aitana Lopez, a 25-year-old virtual model created in 2023 by the Spanish company The Clueless. Lopez’s Instagram bio claims that she’s the “1st AI influencer created,” and she currently has just under 400,000 followers.
According to a 2024 Euronews article, Lopez can earn up to €10,000 ($11,690) a month. On average, though, her creators said she makes around €3,000 ($3,507).
Lopez’s designer, Rubén Cruz, explained that they created her “so that we could make a better living and not be dependent on other people who have egos, who have manias, or who just want to make a lot of money by posing.”
“We started analyzing how we were working and realized that many projects were being put on hold or canceled due to problems beyond our control,” he revealed. “Often it was the fault of the influencer or model and not due to design issues.”
