Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@Tatiana Elizabeth
Topics: Social Media, Celebrity, Artificial intelligence, Instagram
Madison Burgess
Topics: Social Media, Celebrity, Artificial intelligence, Instagram
A white influencer who's been accused of editing her face onto a Black influencer’s body has spoken out and taken 'full responsibility' for the bizarre move.
On Sunday (31 March), model Tatiana Elizabeth publicly called out Lauren Blake Boultier on TikTok for using AI to superimpose her face over her own in a photo.
Taking to social media, she shared a side-by-side comparison of her own photo from the US Open, which was taken two years ago, and showed her court-side in a tennis-inspired outfit, next to an identical snap that Boultier shared on Instagram recently.
Elizabeth wrote: "Bar for bar. The weirdest part about this is that it's not even an AI influencer. This is a real person who used AI to put her head on my body.
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"She geotagged Miami as if she's at the Miami Open. When my photo was taken at the US Open two years ago."
Take a look for yourself:
She added in a TikTok video: "This photo to the right is a photo of me at the US Open in 2024. The photo on the left is a photo I came across on Instagram of someone who decapitated me and decided to use my image and my environment.
"I initially thought that it was one of those faceless AI pages, but I came to the realisation that this is an actual person, with 1.6 million followers at that.
"By no means am I trying to bash this girl; mental health is real, I'm not a bully. I'm just a little perplexed.
"I wanna know, what was the reason. Has social media got to our heads that much that we are completely disregarding courtesy?"
Boultier has since deleted the image and released two separate statements on the matter - one on her Instagram page, and one to TMZ.
The influencer told TMZ: "That shouldn't have happened, and I take full responsibility. This came from an AI content system my team uses to generate images at scale.
"I did not see the original image or intentionally set out to copy anyone's work, but that doesn't change the outcome.
"I understand this impacted another creator, especially when it comes to respecting original work, and I never want to contribute to that kind of frustration or harm within the creative community that I have been a part of for 10 years."
She then went on to release a further social media statement, which read: "I want to address a recent post created by a third-party AI content agency I’ve been working with.
"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.
"I take full responsibility for what appears on my platforms. The post was removed, and I have spoken with the creator privately to apologize.
"I will have more oversight with my agency to ensure my content is handled with the integrity and respect it deserves moving forward."
Boultier added: "I am deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused the original creator and the community at large. Thank you to those that have spoken up. I am listening, and I am committed to doing better."
Elizabeth also posted another TikTok video sharing screenshots of an apology message she was sent by Boultier.
The influencer said she's been 'dealing with a heinous amount of hate' but apologised again and said she's 'putting a stricter review process in place' to ensure it doesn't happen again.
Tyla has contacted representatives for both Elizabeth and Boultier for comment.