TLDR: NBA superstar LeBron James has initiated legal proceedings against FlickUp, an AI platform, for generating and circulating unauthorized videos featuring his likeness, including a widely viewed clip depicting him as pregnant. This action marks a significant step by a high-profile celebrity against the misuse of AI-generated content.
NBA icon LeBron James has taken decisive legal action to combat the proliferation of bizarre, AI-generated videos featuring his likeness, including a particularly viral clip that depicted him as pregnant. James’s legal team has issued a cease-and-desist letter to FlickUp, the company behind the AI image-generation tool Interlink AI, which was responsible for creating these unauthorized videos. This move, reported by 404 Media and confirmed by FlickUp founder Jason Stacks, represents one of the first instances of a major celebrity pursuing legal action against an AI platform for non-consensual use of their image.
The controversial videos, which have circulated widely on social media platforms like Instagram and X, include one showing a pregnant James being loaded into an ambulance, with an AI-generated Steph Curry by his side. This specific video reportedly garnered over 6.2 million views on Instagram alone. While many of the AI-generated videos featuring NBA players were initially considered harmless, some, like the “pregnant LeBron” video, crossed into disturbing territory, prompting James’s intervention.
Jason Stacks, the owner of FlickUp, confirmed receiving the cease-and-desist letter from James’s lawyers. In response, Stacks stated he decided to “remove all realistic people from Interlink AI’s software” within 30 minutes of receiving the letter, expressing his dismay in an Instagram Reels video captioned, “I’m so f**ked.”
This incident highlights a growing concern among public figures regarding the unauthorized use of their images in AI-generated content, often referred to as deepfakes. Other celebrities, including Taylor Swift and Steve Harvey, have also been targets of such content, ranging from non-consensual sexual imagery to misleading portrayals in online scams. James’s legal action is notable as it targets the platform enabling the creation of such content, rather than just the individuals sharing it.
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- Artists and Industry Leaders Unite to Advance NO FAKES Act Against AI Deepfakes in Senate Hearing
The legal landscape surrounding AI-generated content and likeness rights is rapidly evolving. Several legislative efforts are underway in the United States to address these issues, including the recently passed Take It Down Act, which criminalizes the publication of intimate imagery without consent, and proposed bills like the NO FAKES Act of 2025 and the Content Origin Protection and Integrity from Edited and Deepfaked Media Act of 2025. These legislative initiatives aim to provide individuals with intellectual property rights over their image and speech, offering greater protection against the misuse of AI technology.
