Call it humil-AI-tion.
No rebound guy — no problem. A New York woman has devised a way to make her ex-boyfriends jealous without landing Mr. Right-away — by using generative AI to digitally add new beaus into her online snaps, as seen in a video with 55 million views on TikTok.
“My ex moved on so, I had to soft launch a new BF fast,” declared Madeline Salazar, 29, in the overlay text to the clip on her virtual BF generator.
In the mesmerizing video, captioned “I win every breakup,” the Manhattanite demonstrates how she doctors a photo of her sitting solo on the subway so that it looks like she’s with a new BF.
Salazar simply types “man resting head on shoulder” into her Adobe program and — presto — the image of a hyperrealistic mystery man appears, using her as a headrest. She then sifts through a Rolodex of options like a video game creator before settling on her preferred Mr. Right.
Other synthetic soulmates include a man reaching for the digital wizard’s hand as he guides her along a terrace, and a man resting his hand on her leg as they work from a coffee shop.
Exacting virtual vengeance was no mean feat.
“The three clips in the video took around two and a half hours,” Salazar told Kennedy News and Media. “Anything involving humans is very difficult.”
However, the AI-powered revenge ploy seemingly pays dividends as her post took off like wildfire with one admirer gushing, “This is so satisfying to watch.”
Even the official Photoshop account weighed in, writing: “This is what we call dedication.”
Meanwhile, critics called her “sad” and “toxic” for seemingly devoting so much time to giving former flames their online comeuppance.
However, the digital wizard has since claimed that the line about her ex moving on was actually a joke and that she hasn’t deployed the soulmate simulator to get back at an ex — at least not yet.
“This was more to be consumed as comedy, but not everybody understands my humor,” the Gothamite lamented. She said they also illustrate how “you really can’t believe anything you see online.”
Despite the video’s satirical nature, Salazar claims that many fans wanted to enlist her services as a romantic jealousy generator.
“I get comments and messages every day asking if I can edit stuff for people to make their boyfriend jealous or because their husband made them angry,” she explained. “It’s always very urgent and they tell me, ‘Emergency — I need your Photoshop help.’”
Salazar has found the requests fascinating, as she doesn’t consider herself a digital artist or graphic designer. She reportedly honed her skills by using Adobe programs at work. (She produces videos at NBC Universal, according to her LinkedIn page.)
However, Salazar says she declines most of these revenge aid requests, as she doesn’t “want to touch another person’s personal life with a 10-foot pole.”
“I’m not in the business of making someone’s personal life toxic,” declared the effects whiz. “If people are going to be manipulative, they’re already doing it anyway. They don’t need my help.”
Nonetheless, as a service to viewers, Salazar made a YouTube tutorial on how to use the boyfriend generator software.
“If anyone has an ex they want to make jealous, then they can watch those,” she said. “But I’m not going to do it for them.”
Interestingly, the idea of AI soulmates isn’t limited to digital decoys; many online apps are offering “authentic” digital boyfriends and girlfriends, some of which are based on real people.