MiquelaвЂ™s вЂњhackвЂќ seems to be an elaborate PR stunt orchestrated by Brud (though as is its Oz-like wont, Brud insists that another AI company called Cain Intelligence begat Bermuda). If this is starting to sound like the plot of Westworld, thatвЂ™s the point. Related StoriesДЄ Pro-Trump Troll Hacked InstagramвЂ™s Favorite Virtual Influencer But, of course, that was also her creators talking. вЂњIвЂ™m a robot.вЂќ Miquela blamed Brud for leading her (and consequently her fans) to believe otherwise. In the end, MiquelaвЂ™s big reveal was shocking only in its obviousness: вЂњIвЂ™m not a human being,вЂќ she said when Bermuda relinquished her account. вЂњWhy is robot drama more dramatic than my life,вЂќ wrote one. For the average Instagram user, though, it was like watching a soap opera unfold on their phones. Conspiracy-driven corners of the internet linked the hack to a theory that the world was going to end on April 18, coincidentally via a robot takeover. вЂњBring back the real Miquela!вЂќ they cried. Naturally, this got MiquelaвЂ™s followers, or вЂњMiquelites,вЂќ all worked up. Then she issued an ultimatum: Miquela couldnвЂ™t have her account back until she promised to вЂњtell people the truth.вЂќ She proceeded to accuse Miquela of being a вЂњfake ass personвЂќ who was duping her followers (the irony being that Bermuda isnвЂ™t real either). Miquela is positioned as a social-justice warrior of sorts, and on April 18, a pro-Trump, self-proclaimed вЂњrobot supremacistвЂќ CGI character named Bermuda wiped her account clean, posting photos of herself, instead. Like having your Instagram account hacked. Now they occupy spaces once reserved for real-life people experiencing real-life things.Д«ermuda, the right-wing troll who hacked MiquelaвЂ™s account. We could turn them off, or leave them behind. But it used to be that real-looking fake humans were confined to Disney parks, movies, music videos, or video games.

We humans have been tripping over the differences between real and fake ever since our forebears saw shadows on cave walls. Maybe it was the jet lag - I was in Milan for Fashion Week - or maybe it was the dizzying effect of good art, but something moved me to text my editor, seated in the front row: вЂњThose dragons werenвЂ™t real вЂ¦ Right?вЂќ Two models carried replicas of their own heads down the runway, while another cradled a вЂњdragon puppyвЂќ that looked like it had come straight from Game of Thrones. Inspired by Donna HarawayвЂ™s 1984 A Cyborg Manifesto, the collection was a hybrid of actual and fantastical references. But then I remembered something similar had happened to me in February as I watched the Instagram livestream of GucciвЂ™s fall 2018 show. Until my conversation with Nikola, it seemed like an indisputable fact that Miquela wasnвЂ™t real. How We Hijacked Lil Miquela (and Created our Own CGI Influencer) She even complains about allergies and often references the temperature with tweets like вЂњ39 degrees out im still getting this iced matcha.вЂќ When she is photographed in the daylight, her body casts a shadow. She hangs out with real-life musicians, artists, and influencers in real-life trendy restaurants in New York and Los Angeles, where she вЂњlives.вЂќ When Miquela holds her phone to a mirror, her reflection stares back. She wears real-life clothes by streetwear brands like Supreme and luxury labels like Chanel.

She knew the answer, but something about Miquela made her question what her eyes were telling her.ДЄt first glance, or swipe, Miquela could understandably be mistaken for a living, breathing person.

вЂњSheвЂ™s not real, right?вЂќ Nikola asked me shyly. The subject was Miquela Sousa, better known as Lil Miquela, a 19-year-old Brazilian-American model, musical artist, and influencer with over a million Instagram followers, who is computer-generated. Over lunch this spring, Nikola Burnett, a 15-year-old who always carries two cameras - one film and one digital - sat staring at an Instagram selfie, perplexed.

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