Former employee of a social media brand AI image incident

A former employee in England discovered that her previous employer had repurposed a still image from her past work to create an AI-altered advertisement. The incident highlights growing concerns regarding the digital manipulation of a person's likeness and the boundaries of consent in professional content creation.

What happened

The individual, who previously worked in social media for the brand, created content featuring herself for both organic and paid campaigns, often filming on her personal device. After her departure from the company, she identified an advertisement that utilized a frame from a video she had originally produced during her employment. Upon closer inspection, she noted that the image had been digitally modified: her eye color had been changed, and her tattoos had been removed.

The former employee, who is currently involved in a separate legal dispute regarding her redundancy, raised concerns about the company's decision to transform her likeness into a marketing asset without her approval. The situation has prompted discussions regarding intellectual property rights, as some observers noted that content created for an employer may be considered company property regardless of the equipment used. The individual is currently seeking legal advice and exploring options such as issuing a cease and desist letter to address the unauthorized use of her altered image.