Marvel star reveals woman was conned into fake relationship with him in ‘disturbing’ AI scam: ‘This is not me’

Ioan Gruffudd has spoken about an AI-generated scam in which a woman was led to believe she was in an extramarital relationship with him. The actor said explicit and disturbing images of him circulating online were AI-generated and were not authentic depictions of him. According to Nine.com.au, the woman contacted Gruffudd after a fan claimed she had been in a relationship with the star for over a year. Gruffudd shared what Nine.com.au described as a distressing update, making clear that the images and the supposed relationship did not originate with him.

The story is being carried by entertainment and general news outlets, including Entertainment Weekly, People.com, BBC, Page Six and Nine.com.au. Entertainment Weekly framed the issue around explicit and disturbing AI images that allegedly convinced the woman she was involved in an extramarital relationship. People.com reported that the AI scam duped the woman into believing she and Gruffudd were dating, while BBC focused on his statement that the explicit images of him online were AI generated. Page Six highlighted the Marvel star's warning that the material was not him, and Nine.com.au covered the woman's claim that the connection lasted for over a year.

The coverage centers on a case of synthetic media being used to create a false personal relationship, with the actor publicly rejecting both the images and the claim. The mention of an extramarital relationship adds a further dimension to the account, as the woman reportedly believed she was involved with Gruffudd while married to someone else. The outlets did not specify how the woman first encountered the images, how long she believed the relationship was genuine beyond the reported period of over a year, or whether any financial exchanges were involved. The coverage also does not identify the woman or describe the platform on which the images appeared.

What to watch next is whether Gruffudd or his representatives provide further detail about the images, the platforms carrying them and the woman's account. The reporting also leaves open whether the images have been removed and whether the woman has described other elements of the supposed relationship. Any additional response from the woman, or clarification of the circumstances she described, would be the next point of development. The established facts remain limited to Gruffudd's denial that the explicit images are real, the woman's reported belief that she was dating him for over a year, and the outlets' consistent focus on the use of AI-generated material in the alleged deception.