Beauty and lifestyle influencer Lauren Blake Boultier has claimed that artificial intelligence was responsible for an Instagram post that showed her face edited onto the body of a Black model. Boultier, who has over 1.6 million followers, posted a photo appearing to show her at the Miami Open last month, wearing a white mini skirt and T-shirt with a green Louis Vuitton purse and a matching sweater.
Observers quickly noted that the image resembled a photo of model Tatiana Elizabeth at the 2024 US Open. In a statement on Wednesday, Boultier apologised, saying a third-party AI content agency had created the image. She said she had removed the post and apologised privately to Elizabeth, adding that she would increase oversight of her content.
However, Elizabeth dismissed the apology as insincere, telling TMZ that Boultier was trying to avoid blame. Elizabeth said Boultier had contacted her with a written apology note, then unsent it and sent another. Elizabeth expressed doubt about the apology's sincerity, stating, 'I don't think she was honest. I think she's just saying what she thinks she needs to say to move past this.'
