Mia Zelu is an AI-generated social media star. She has over 150,000 Instagram followers, drawn to her glamorous photos at tennis events and other locations. The person behind the account remains anonymous.
Recently, the account posted a picture of Zelu courtside at Wimbledon, enjoying a glass of Pimm's, the tournament's signature drink. In the caption, Zelu, who describes herself as a "digital storyteller," asked, "What's your favorite Wimbledon match?"
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Zelu's courtside photo at Wimbledon went viral. Photo: Instagram/@miazelu |
Zelu's courtside photo at Wimbledon went viral. Photo: Instagram/@miazelu
Zelu's posts feature not only hyperrealistic images but also insightful captions, mimicking a real person.
"You know what's truly exhausting? Pretending you're okay when you're silently falling apart inside," one post reads, accompanied by a photo of Zelu in jean shorts at a cafe. "We all do it. Because being honest feels risky. Because we don't want to appear weak."
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Zelu frequently shares travel photos, garnering hundreds of thousands of likes. Photo: Instagram/@miazelu |
Zelu frequently shares travel photos, garnering hundreds of thousands of likes. Photo: Instagram/@miazelu
Zelu also has a "sister" named Ana, a brunette character with 266,000 followers. Despite Zelu clearly labeling her profile as "AI," many believe she is real, leaving comments like "You're stunning" and "Marry me?"
The situation gained attention when fans noticed Indian cricket star Rishabh Pant had "liked" several of her posts. Many suggested Pant had fallen for a fake account. "Someone needs to tell Rishabh Pant this is an AI account," one commenter wrote.
According to the Daily Mail, Pant later unliked the posts and has not commented on the incident.
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Mia Zelu poses in the stands at a tennis match in England. Photo: Instagram/@miazelu |
Mia Zelu poses in the stands at a tennis match in England. Photo: Instagram/@miazelu
Zelu is one of a growing number of AI influencers. Last year, virtual influencer Alba Renai became the first non-human host for a segment of the Spanish version of "Survivor."
However, this trend also carries risks. In 2024, a British woman lost over 20,000 USD to a romance scammer using AI-generated videos impersonating a US Army colonel. Recently, a Malaysian couple drove over 300 km to a tourist spot featured in an AI-generated video, only to discover it didn't exist.
Minh Phuong (After Nypost)
