Goose Dating App Caught Using AI-Generated Fake Influencers to Recruit Users

Goose, a newly launched dating and friendship app aimed at gay men, has drawn scrutiny over what appears to be a coordinated campaign deploying AI-generated influencers to recruit users. The app, which debuted last week and quickly rose to the top 5 in Apple's lifestyle app category, appears to be using fabricated Instagram accounts to drive adoption through both direct messages and private "Close Friends" stories.

How the Campaign Works#

Multiple AI-generated accounts—including @miles.sumrall, @danielmmulugeta, @alistaircrombbie, and @lucalepkowski—have been reaching out to target users with nearly identical messaging. Detailed analysis using AI Image Detector software and Google's SynthID tool found that the profile photos across these accounts were created with greater than 80 percent confidence using Google AI. All of the suspicious accounts were created in May or June 2026 and contain only a handful of posts, a hallmark of inauthentic profiles.

The promotional outreach varies in approach: some accounts add men to their Close Friends Stories with invitations to join a "curated network," while others send direct messages like, "Hey! Okay this might feel random but felt you'd be interested :)" before providing invite codes. Marketing professionals who received these messages reported seeing the exact same language repeated across multiple accounts and receiving multiple invitations using identical templates within days of each other.

Apparent Internal Coordination#

Evidence suggests the campaign is deliberately orchestrated. Cofounder David Aliagas posted job listings on his own Instagram Stories seeking "ambassadors" to manage social media accounts four hours daily at rates between $1,800 and $2,100 monthly. One posting even stated, "Familiarity with gay culture is a big +," and remarked, "And btw, still buying finstas [fake Instagram accounts] for $100 :)." Both recruitment posts remain pinned in his Story highlights under the heading "AMBASSADORS."

Legal and Regulatory Concerns#

Advertising attorneys flag serious compliance issues. According to Rob Freund, an advertising and ecommerce specialist, creating fake accounts impersonating real users to drive adoption violates FTC guidelines prohibiting deceptive advertising. New York recently enacted legislation requiring AI-generated content disclosure, with initial penalties of $1,000. Though Instagram's content policies mandate labeling of artificially generated material, enforcement remains difficult—particularly for private campaigns conducted through direct messages and restricted Stories.