Ophelia Simonyan
Journalist, fact-checker

On September 22, 2025, an account under the name Ani Karapetyan was created on Telegram; the channel shares semi-nude videos and photos. In a short period, the account has gained over 11,000 followers.

On September 30, the account launched its Instagram page, with the bio description reading: “Happy girl from Yerevan.” The page features similar content, including videos and photos featuring semi-nude or very revealing clothing.

Ani has already gained over 68,000 followers, a number many bloggers struggle to achieve even after years of effort.

In the comments, opinions divide: many criticize her for being “overly exposed,” while others express admiration and invite her on a date. Based on user reactions, many followers appear convinced that Ani is a real person. The “model” reinforces this perception by keeping the rules of the game. On December 20, the “model” complained that her photographs had been stolen and a fake account had been created to generate income using her images.

Screenshot from an Instagram page operating under the name “Ani Karapetyan”

In reality, the character “Ani Karapetyan” was created by artificial intelligence (AI), although this is not mentioned on her social media. She presents herself as a real person.


How we  found out that the character is AI-generated

On her Telegram page, Ani Karapetyan regularly urges followers to visit the fanvue.com website to watch “exclusive” and full videos.

Screenshot from the Telegram channel operating under the name “Ani Karapetyan”

The technical description of the page notes: “Images have been enhanced or created using artificial intelligence for creative purposes.”

Screenshot from the Fanvue page operating under the name “Ani Karapetyan”

Fanvue.com is a popular platform for content creators. On this site, creators share more explicit or “exclusive” photos and videos that aren’t available on other social media platforms. Users can subscribe to view this paid content. These types of sites typically feature adult (18+) content.

Interestingly, since 2025, Fanvue.com has not only permitted but also encouraged the entry of characters created by artificial intelligence, provided that the account clearly states that AI created the character.

The subscription to Ani Karapetyan’s account on this platform costs about 6,000 drams monthly.

Screenshot from an Instagram page operating under the name “Ani Karapetyan”

Moreover, Ani Karapetyan’s videos, despite their realism, still exhibit irregularities typical of AI. For instance, in the video published on December 8, the door in the background behind Ani appears and disappears.

 

Other famous examples

Today, AI influencers are serious business projects.

One notable AI influencer on Fanvue.com is Aytana Lopez from Barcelona. She has garnered hundreds of thousands of followers and earns between 3,000 and 10,000 euros per month. Additionally, she is very active on Instagram, where she has 386,000 followers. Lopez participates in advertising campaigns that were traditionally reserved for real models.

Emily Pellegrini is another AI character who earned over $10,000 on Fanvue within just a few months. She gained fame when well-known football players and billionaires began dating her and writing her letters, unaware that she wasn’t a real person. Pellegrini has over 541,000 followers on Instagram and even has “pictures” with American billionaire Elon Musk, the head of the xAI company.

Both models include a disclaimer indicating that the content is AI-generated.


How they operate

Model creators use tools like Midjourney and Stable Diffusion to design characters with specific appearances. They craft backstories, post “vacation” and “gym” pictures, and sell subscriptions or content just like actual models.

These models are developed as business projects, functioning as “digital puppets” with technical specialists and marketers behind them.

Today, Ani Karapetyan has become the Armenian equivalent of that business. However, there’s concern that she doesn’t disclose on her social media platforms that she was created by artificial intelligence, unlike Anita Lopez or Emily Pellegrini, who do make this clear.