Goose arrived with a clear pitch: a dating and friendship app for gay men, built around the slogan “for the boys” and the promise that users could “meet guys through the life you already have.” But the app’s early attention is now tied to a different question: whether some of the interest around it was manufactured through Instagram accounts that appeared to be fake or AI-generated.
According to WIRED, several accounts promoting Goose through Instagram Close Friends Stories and direct messages showed signs of inauthentic behavior. The issue matters because dating apps depend heavily on trust. If users believe they are being personally invited by real people, the authenticity of those accounts becomes central to the product’s credibility.
How Goose Was Promoted on Instagram
One example cited by WIRED involved the Instagram account @miles.sumrall, whose Close Friends Story showed a man floating on water and included the message, “You’re receiving this because you’re exactly the type of person we’re building this for.” The post included a code for an invite to a “members only community.”
The link led to Goose, which describes itself as a dating and friendship app for gay men. A similar promotion appeared from @danielmmulugeta, using the same wording in a Close Friends Story.
WIRED reported that both @miles.sumrall and @danielmmulugeta were created in May 2026, had fewer than 10 posts, and showed a high following-to-follower ratio. Their Instagram avatars were assessed by AI Image Detector software with greater than 90 percent confidence as AI-generated. A SynthID check on Google Gemini also found that “most or all of” Miles’ and Daniel’s profile photos were created using Google AI.
The accounts did not appear isolated. WIRED said it identified more than two dozen similar accounts tied to Goose invites. Those accounts were created in May or June 2026, had only a few posts, and often commented on each other’s photos using the same heart and fire emojis.
The People Behind the App
Goose was created by model-influencer Derek Chadwick and former BeReal growth and community manager David Aliagas. The app has positioned itself as a Grindr alternative for gay men interested in lasting relationships.
The concept drew skepticism when it was announced. One X user joked, “Goose is basically Pokémon Ho.” Still, early user interest appeared strong. WIRED reported that when the app launched last Thursday, it rose to #4 in the App Store’s free lifestyle downloads category and is now ranked 33rd in lifestyle app downloads globally.
That ranking suggests the promotional push may have had real impact. WIRED noted that content from accounts like @miles.sumrall likely helped drive downloads, even as questions grew about whether the people behind those invitations were real.
Direct Messages Raised More Questions
WIRED described a broader pattern in which accounts followed potential members, added them to Close Friends Stories, or sent direct messages encouraging them to join Goose. Ryan Cheam, who works in marketing and public relations, said he first noticed an account named @alistaircrombbie about a week ago.
The account’s bio said Alistair worked in PR at a well-known art gallery. Cheam told WIRED, “I thought he was just a normal gay guy.” He became suspicious after the account sent him a direct message inviting him to join a “curated network of guys” at Goose and included an invite code.
A SynthID check found that “most or all” of Alistair’s profile photo was generated using Google AI.
Dalton Bauer, who works in marketing, received a similar message from an account named @lucalepkowski. The message began, “Hey! Okay this might feel random but felt you’d be interested :).” WIRED reported that the language matched a message Cheam received from Alistair.
Bauer said it was the third such direct message he had received that week from a brand-new account using the same language. He told WIRED, “This is the first time I’ve seen this on Instagram, and at this scale,” adding, “I think someone needs to shed light on this as it’s shady and deceiving.”
The @lucalepkowski account was created in May 2026. AI Image Detector software found the profile image was 80 percent likely to have been artificially generated. Google Gemini also determined that at least part of Luca’s profile photo “was edited or generated with Google AI.”
Ambassador Posts and Unanswered Questions
WIRED said Chadwick did not respond to multiple requests for comment, and no one else from Goose responded either. The publication also reported that Aliagas appeared to have posted multiple Instagram Story listings for “ambassadors” to help manage unspecified social media accounts.
One Instagram Story from six weeks ago said, “Need some help w my new app and you know I always give priority access to these opportunities to my OGs here :).” The listed role involved managing three Instagram accounts four hours a day for two-plus months, with pay ranging from $1,800 to $2,100 a month.
Aliagas also wrote, “Familiarity with gay culture is a big +. Time to monetize ur traumas :),” and ended with, “And btw, still buying finstas [fake Instagram accounts] for $100 :).”
Another call for an “ambassador role” for his “new app” appeared three weeks ago and asked for a three-month commitment. “We are going big :-),” Aliagas wrote. WIRED reported that both Stories remained in his Instagram Story highlights under the title “AMBASSADORS.”
Why Disclosure Matters
The core issue is not simply that AI-generated images may have been used. The concern is whether people were led to believe they were hearing from real users or community members when those accounts may have been synthetic, coordinated, or otherwise inauthentic.
WIRED noted that brands and developers do use AI-generated influencers to promote products. It also cited a recent Guardian investigation in which a former celebrity manager who creates such accounts estimated that “40 percent to 60 percent of the content out there from some of the big brands” is artificially generated and often not identified as such.
Advertising and ecommerce attorney Rob Freund told WIRED that the US Federal Trade Commission has guidelines against deceptive advertising, including brands using AI to impersonate real people. He said, “If you are creating fake accounts for people who promote a product and explicitly creating a bunch of fake accounts that look like they are users of a product or a service to drive attention or sales to that product or service, that activity is very obviously unlawful under FTC guidelines.”
Freund said that remains true even if the app is free. An FTC spokesperson declined to answer WIRED’s questions, saying it “cannot comment on a specific company’s practices.”
Meta, which owns Instagram, also declined to comment for WIRED’s story. WIRED reported that Meta’s content guidelines require users to label artificially generated content and say posts that are not correctly identified can be taken down. But because the Goose-related promotion appeared in direct messages and Close Friends Stories, the private nature of the campaign may make enforcement harder.
For users, the lesson is direct: a polished Instagram profile, a personal invite, and a familiar social setting do not guarantee authenticity. For apps trying to build community, the risk is just as clear. Growth tactics that blur the line between real people and synthetic promotion can undermine the trust they need most.