AI grifters are creating fake Black people to sell Shein junk
The Verge reports AI-generated Black personas are being used to sell dropshipped Shein-like goods through empathy-bait videos.
The Verge found TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook accounts using AI-generated Black women and other marginalized personas to sell dropshipped products. The videos frame mass-produced goods as handmade small-business items and use tears, racial identity, and hardship narratives to drive engagement. Researchers describe the pattern as digital blackface and empathy bait, enabled by short-form platforms, weak labeling, and widely available generative AI ad workflows.
This report from The Verge tracks a wave of AI-generated seller accounts appearing on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. A typical case is a light-skinned Black female character named Aliyah; in her videos she wears country-western style clothing and tearfully begs viewers to stay and watch, claiming she handcrafts metal belt buckles but cannot sell them. However, The Verge points out that Aliyah is not a real person, and the products do not appear to be handmade; identical or similar belt buckles can be found on Shein at roughly a quarter of the price listed in her store. The report also found that many similar accounts replicate the videos with the same backgrounds, scripts, and props, simply swapping out the character, ethnic identity, or product, selling dropshipping goods such as belt buckles, cowboy-boot-shaped cups, crochet bags, and cardigans.
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