Brazilian Sells Everything to Join His Partner, a Woman Generated by AI

Edimar Rocha Martins, a 49-year-old Brazilian bricklayer, travelled more than 2,000 kilometres by bus from Imperatriz to Belo Horizonte to meet Jéssica Oliveira, a woman he had followed on social media. He discovered that her image and voice had been generated by AI and that she did not exist. After selling all his belongings to pay for the trip, he received a return bus ticket from Belo Horizonte’s city services and arrived back in Imperatriz on October 15. He says he does not regret the journey and plans to return to Belo Horizonte to look for another partner.