Derek Chadwick Goose AI Influencer Scandal Explained

Tracking the controversy surrounding Goose, the gay dating and friendship app co-founded by model and influencer Derek Chadwick, after an investigation found a network of apparently AI-generated Instagram personalities promoting the app and contacting real gay men with invitations to join.

Goose Was Accused Of Using AI-Generated Male Influencers To Attract Gay Users. WIRED identified more than two dozen suspicious Instagram accounts promoting Goose, many of them recently created accounts featuring attractive young men who appeared not to exist. Several sent real people invitations to join Goose or added potential customers to Instagram Close Friends stories advertising the app. [WIRED]

AI Detection Tools Found Strong Evidence That Promotional Profile Photos Were Artificially Generated. Profile images belonging to accounts including “Miles Sumrall” and “Daniel Mulugeta” were assessed by an AI detection tool as having greater than a 90 percent probability of being AI-generated. Google Gemini’s SynthID system also indicated that most or all of the profile images had been created using Google AI. [WIRED]

The Suspected AI Accounts Sent Nearly Identical Messages Encouraging Men To Join Goose. Multiple apparently artificial Instagram personalities used identical or nearly identical language when contacting real gay men and offering invitation codes to Goose. One recipient told WIRED that he had received the same message from three newly created accounts in a single week and called the practice “shady and deceiving.” [WIRED]

Goose Co-Founder David Aliagas Advertised Jobs Managing Multiple Instagram Accounts. Before the controversy erupted, Chadwick’s co-founder David Aliagas posted advertisements seeking “ambassadors” who would spend several hours each day managing three Instagram accounts for his new app. The advertised compensation ranged from $1,800 to $2,100 per month. [WIRED]

Aliagas Publicly Offered To Buy Fake Instagram Accounts. In the same recruiting material, Aliagas wrote that he was “still buying finstas” for $100 each. The disclosure became significant after investigators uncovered the network of recently created accounts apparently being used to promote Goose. [WIRED]

An Advertising Attorney Said The Alleged Marketing Strategy Could Violate FTC Rules. Advertising lawyer Rob Freund told WIRED that creating fake accounts that appear to represent real consumers in order to generate attention or sales would be prohibited under Federal Trade Commission deceptive-advertising guidelines. The FTC declined to comment specifically on Goose. [WIRED]

Chadwick’s Initial Response Did Not Directly Address The AI Influencer Allegations. After the investigation, Chadwick said Goose was creating a community where “real people” could make real friends and dates and said the company worked to keep fake profiles off its platform. Queerty noted that his statement did not answer the specific allegation that apparently artificial Instagram personalities had been used outside the app to promote Goose. [QUEERTY]

Goose Faced A Separate Controversy Over Its Original Terms Of Service. Users also criticized language in Goose’s terms granting the company broad rights over uploaded material, including user images and other content. After the backlash, Goose revised the terms to explicitly narrow the scope of the rights it claimed over user content. [WIRED]

Influencers Said Goose Offered Them Money Amid The Backlash. A creator known as Chase said Goose offered him money to post about the company after criticism over its terms of service and alleged use of AI Instagram models. Chadwick confirmed that Goose used paid creator outreach but said there was no expectation that creators act as public-relations representatives for the company. [QUEERTY]

A Fake Profile On Goose Used Stolen Photographs Of A Real Man. WIRED later reported that photographs belonging to a San Francisco man had been uploaded to a Goose account presenting him as “Robert,” a 33-year-old attorney in Nashville. The incident raised additional questions about the effectiveness of Goose’s identity-verification system, although it was separate from the alleged AI influencer marketing operation. [WIRED]

Users Also Accused Goose Of Having Exclusionary Moderation And Diversity Problems. Some prospective users told WIRED that photographs showing makeup or revealing clothing were rejected, while others complained that the app appeared heavily oriented toward masculine-presenting white men. Chadwick denied that Goose made decisions based on identity, gender expression or personal presentation. [WIRED]

Chadwick Quit Goose Weeks After The AI Influencer Exposé. In August 2026, less than two months after the app launched, Chadwick announced that he had stepped away from Goose entirely. He said his vision and the company’s direction were no longer aligned and that he could no longer fully stand behind everything associated with the company. [OUT]

Chadwick Did Not Say Whether The AI Controversy Caused His Departure. Although his exit followed the WIRED investigation by approximately six weeks, Chadwick did not explicitly connect his resignation to the allegations. Goose confirmed his departure and said it remained focused on building a trusted community. [OUT]