LeBron James has taken legal action against an AI platform responsible for creating and circulating nonconsensual deepfake videos of the NBA superstar.
Lawyers representing James recently issued a cease-and-desist letter to Interlink AI, a tool hosted on the FlickUp platform, and its associated Discord community.
The platform allowed users to create AI-generated videos, some of which depicted James in disturbing and bizarre scenarios—including as a pregnant person and in simulated prison assault scenes alongside other celebrities like Steph Curry and Sean “Diddy” Combs. Many of these videos gained millions of views on Instagram under the viral trend known as “brainrot AI.”
This marks one of the first publicly known cases where a high-profile celebrity has taken legal action over AI-generated content that, while not sexually explicit, still constitutes a violation of likeness and dignity. The situation has brought increased attention to the growing concerns around deepfake content and celebrity rights in the age of generative AI.
In response to the legal action, the moderators of Interlink AI announced in late June that they would be removing all “realistic people models” from the platform. In a message posted on Discord, they explained the change was necessary “after we ran into legal issues involving a highly valued basketball player.”
This move underscores the legal and ethical boundaries being tested as AI-generated content becomes more realistic—and potentially harmful.
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