Is Goose, the Grindr alternative, using fake AI-generated dates to lure gay men?

Is a new dating app marketed as an alternative to Grindr tricking gay men with fake potential dates? According to Wired, the answer is yes.An investigation by WIRED found that many of the faces used to promote Goose were linked to low-usage accounts with abnormal follower-to-following ratios. Moreover, some appeared to be connected to Instagram accounts likely generated by artificial intelligence.The Advocate’s sibling publication, Out, previously reported that Goose was created by out gay model, actor, and beauty entrepreneur Derek Chadwick and pitched as a social-first, “anti-algorithm” alternative to Grindr, Sniffies, and other hookup-focused apps. Instead of swiping, Goose lets users “wave” at one another; if both people wave, they are connected. The app also promised a curated community, a live map, profile updates, disappearing chats, and screenshot protection.WIRED found an account tied to Goose co-founder David Aliagas advertising “ambassador” positions on Instagram and offering money for “finstas,” or fake Instagram accounts. Reporters at WIRED also spoke to several gay men who interacted through Instagram with apparently AI-generated accounts that encouraged them to sign up for Goose.Related: Meta slammed for 'disturbing' AI profiles, including a fake Black queer motherFor example, Ryan Cheam says he communicated with an account named @alistaircrombbie. “I thought he was just a normal gay guy,” Cheam told the outlet. But then the account encouraged him to join a “curated network of guys” on Goose. That Instagram account is no longer publicly viewable.Goose has been marketed as a less hookup-focused alternative to dating apps. “Goose replaces matching with a simple wave. If two people wave at each other, they’re connected. It’s lighter, more natural, and removes pressure from the start,” reads an official description on Google Play.A spokesperson for the company pushed back against the claim that the user was fake in a stat