AI-generated influencers are copying comedians' jokes on Instagram

AI-generated influencer accounts are copying stand-up comedians' jokes and repackaging them as sexualised social-media content, according to a WIRED investigation. The accounts use synthetic performers to deliver near-identical versions of comedy clips, while directing audiences towards creator-subscription pages.¹

WIRED reports that comedian Julia Jasunas discovered one account had copied a joke from her stand-up set word for word, including the pauses and filler sounds in the original performance. The account, presented as a performer called Aylen Skye, directed followers towards an adult-content subscription service and appeared to use an AI-generated persona.¹

How the copied videos spread

The investigation identified eight comedians whose videos had allegedly been replicated by scantily dressed AI-generated performers. The copied clips often reproduce the original setup and punchline, but present the material with brighter lighting, cleaner audio and a more deliberately sexualised presentation.¹

Some of the accounts also publish synthetic interview clips featuring recognisable television hosts, alongside other AI-generated material. WIRED says the accounts are connected to one another and that some have built large audiences across Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.

The reporting also describes inconsistent labelling. Some accounts identify their videos as AI-generated, while others do not label every post. Meta's rules prohibit impersonation, but the comedians interviewed by WIRED said the platform did not treat copying a joke as a clear policy violation. Meta spokesperson Francis Brennan declined to comment further, pointing to Instagram head Adam Mosseri's earlier comments about finding ways to protect original creators.¹

Why comedians say the problem is different

The comedians involved say this is more than ordinary joke theft. Their work is being lifted and placed inside a sexualised commercial format that they did not choose, with the synthetic performers sometimes reaching larger audiences than the original clips.

George Brett Olson told WIRED that an AI account copied one of his routines and used a similar visual setup. After he posted a comparison, the account removed the video, but Olson said other copied material remained available. The investigation says the accounts were still active when WIRED reported the story.¹

Legal protection is also complicated. Stand-up jokes have historically received limited copyright protection, partly because short setups and punchlines can resemble one another and because the financial value of an individual routine can be difficult to establish. That leaves comedians relying heavily on platform moderation and public pressure when a synthetic account copies their work.¹

Our opinion

This is a particularly ugly version of the content-reuse problem because the AI is not merely imitating a format: it is helping turn identifiable comedians' labour into a new commercial persona without their consent. The important question is not whether every copied joke meets a courtroom definition of infringement. It is whether platforms are prepared to give creators a meaningful way to report synthetic accounts that reproduce their work and likeness while profiting from the attention.

Meta's position, as described by WIRED, leaves a gap between impersonation rules and the broader reality of AI-assisted copying. Labelling a video as synthetic does not answer who supplied the joke, who owns the performance, or whether the original creator has any practical route to have it removed. The investigation suggests those questions are becoming urgent as generated performers improve and their audiences grow.¹

The accounts described in the investigation were still online at the time of publication. Meta has not announced a specific new policy in response to the cases detailed by WIRED.