LeBron James’ Lawyer Takes Action Against AI Company

LeBron James’ attorney has sent a cease-and-desist notice to a company involved in generating AI content that uses his likeness.

This action follows the circulation of several inappropriate videos featuring James alongside Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors star. Recently, the videos have gained traction online, prompting legal responses.

According to initial reports, these unauthorized AI-generated videos originated from a tool called Interlink AI, which functions on the Flickup AI platform. Interlink hosted a Discord channel that provided detailed instructions for creating false footage of James, and the developers had made AI models specifically aimed at imitating various NBA players.

One particularly controversial video amassed millions of views on Instagram. It depicted an AI-generated version of James with a bizarre storyline related to Curry, who was portrayed in a troubling scenario. Even the moderators on Discord appeared to engage in NBA-themed projects. In an announcement on Discord in April, they shared a video of James, generated by AI, saying something about being pregnant and related to Curry.

While this video went viral, the legal threat from James’ team indicates potential legal challenges that AI technologies may face regarding copyright and intellectual property. Earlier this June, Interlink had to remove some hyper-realistic celebrity models from its platform, citing legal complications.

“The founder of Flickup, Jason Stacks, later acknowledged the issue as stemming from the cease-and-desist letter from James’ lawyers,” as reported. “Stacks suggested there might be limitations on character representations beyond basic forms. The rise of celebrity deepfakes has led to increasing legal pushback, with notable figures threatening direct legal action against their misuse.”