PR Firm Used AI-Generated Publicists to Pitch Journalists

A U.K. PR firm admits it used fake, AI-generated publicists to pitch story ideas to journalists — without its clients’ knowledge, according to Futurism.

A Futurism reporter noticed one supposed publicist’s headshot carried a watermark identifying it as having been created by the website This Person Does Not Exist, which generates AI-created faces.

One pitch, for a self-improvement app called RiseGuide, offered to introduce a reporter to the startup’s founder. The email claimed to come from a firm called VectorGuideHQ. In reality, the pitch originated with the U.K.-based Movchan Agency.

Movchan’s clients said they were unaware the agency was using fabricated personas to contact journalists on their behalf.

“We do work with Movchan Agency, but were not aware of these practices,” said RiseGuide founder Oleksandr Matsiuk. Otherwise, “we would’ve been naturally against it.”

A representative for Joi AI, a startup that sells AI-generated romantic partners, likewise said, “I had no idea they were using fake personas — this goes entirely against our brand values and standards.”

Some pitches sent by the fabricated representatives resulted in media coverage, including a story about Joi AI that reportedly appeared in the New York Post.

Nadya Movchan, the agency’s founder, confirmed that 15 different names used in emails to reporters were fabricated personas and said the practice was intended to be temporary.

As AI becomes a routine part of communications, agencies and in-house teams should establish clear guidelines for how it is used — and disclosed. Trust with journalists and clients is hard to earn and easy to lose when technology crosses the line into deception.