Beauty and lifestyle influencer Lauren Blake Boultier has been accused of an insincere apology after she blamed artificial intelligence for an Instagram post that superimposed her face onto the body of a Black model. Boultier, who has over 1.6 million followers, posted an image appearing to show her at the Miami Open last month, wearing a white mini skirt and T-shirt with a green Louis Vuitton handbag.
Users quickly noted the photo matched one posted by Black model Tatiana Elizabeth at the 2024 U.S. Open. In a statement on Wednesday, Boultier said a third-party AI content agency created the image, adding, “It was brought to my attention that an image posted utilized the work and likeness of a Black creator in a way that is entirely inconsistent with my values.” She said she had removed the post and apologised privately to Elizabeth.
However, Elizabeth told TMZ she doubted the apology’s sincerity, claiming Boultier was trying to “avoid blame.” Elizabeth said Boultier contacted her with a written apology, then unsent it and sent another. “It’s just been weird,” Elizabeth said. “I don’t think she was honest. I think she’s just saying what she thinks she needs to say in order to kind of move past this.”
