In a digital age where celebrity likenesses are increasingly manipulated by artificial intelligence, LeBron James is taking a stand, and drawing a legal boundary. The NBA icon’s legal team has issued cease-and-desist letters to creators behind a disturbing wave of AI-generated videos that depict James in bizarre and degrading scenarios, including as a pregnant man.
The videos, created using a tool called Interlink AI, hosted on the larger FlickUp platform, were part of a viral trend known as “brainrot AI”, which has flooded Instagram and Discord communities with surreal, often offensive content. In addition to the pregnancy videos, other clips featured AI-generated versions of James in prison, on his knees, and as a homeless person.
While deepfakes have long been a concern for public figures, this marks one of the first known instances of a celebrity taking legal action against non-sexual but nonconsensual AI content. The move signals a growing urgency around protecting digital identity and personal dignity in the face of generative AI’s rapid evolution.
Following the legal threat, moderators of the Interlink AI Discord channel announced the removal of all “realistic people models” from the platform. “This change comes after we ran into legal issues involving a highly valued basketball player,” they wrote, referencing James without naming him directly.
Instagram has also responded by deleting at least three high-traffic accounts that had shared the AI-generated videos of James. Meta, Instagram’s parent company, declined to confirm whether it received legal correspondence from James’ team.
Jason Stacks, founder of FlickUp, confirmed to 404 Media that he received the cease-and-desist letter from James’ attorneys and acted swiftly.
“Within 30 minutes of receiving the cease and desist, we made the decision to remove all realistic people from Interlink AI’s software,” he said.
James’ legal action underscores a growing tension between creative freedom and digital exploitation. While AI tools offer unprecedented possibilities for art, satire, and storytelling, they also open the door to identity theft, reputational harm, and psychological abuse, especially when used without consent.
The NBA star’s response is part of a larger movement among public figures to reclaim control over their digital selves. WNBA star Angel Reese has also spoken out against AI-generated images of herself, some of which were explicit and mistakenly believed to be real by her family.
For James, whose brand is valued at over $1 billion, the stakes are high. But his actions may pave the way for others without the same resources to challenge AI misuse.
As AI continues to blur the line between reality and fabrication, legal frameworks are struggling to keep pace. James’ cease-and-desist letters may not erase the existing content, but they send a clear message: digital exploitation won’t be tolerated.
Whether lawmakers follow suit with stronger protections remains to be seen. But for now, LeBron James is using his platform, and his legal team, to push back against the wild west of generative AI.
