Fake LinkedIn profile of start up founder, generated by AI, gets funding offer in 24 hours

The man's fake profile and the message from an user who claimed he knows his former colleagues. (Image: roshanpateI/Twitter)

The Chief Executive Officer of a medical bill payment platform tested the reach and skill of Artificial Intelligence and generated a LinkedIn profile for a fake founder of a company using AI.

Roshan Patel shared his interesting experiment and its results on Twitter. For a founder named “Chad Smith”, Patel had a list of characteristics for the profile. Smith is a white male, an alumni of Stripe, a Stanford University dropout, a polymath and going through Y Combinator – a company that helps early-stage startups get launched.

And these fake details were enough for Patel to get a funding offer from a VC analyst in just 24 hours.

Patel also mentions in the fake profile that he has been working on “building something new” for the past one month and also that he is from New York.

“I created a fake LinkedIn profile of a founder. AI-generated white male face. Stripe alum. Stanford dropout. Going through YC. "Polymath". Within 24 hours, I had a VC to reach out to invest,” Patel tweeted with screenshots that are viral with 9 million views and thousands of likes.

I created a fake LinkedIn profile of a founder. - AI-generated white male face - Stripe alum - Stanford dropout - Going through YC - "polymath" Within 24 hours, I had a VC to reach out to invest. pic.twitter.com/6T5CzvBNeo

— Roshan Patel (@roshanpateI) February 27, 2023

He also shared a screenshot of the message he received from the potential investor.

“Hey Chad – I’m an analyst for XXXX ventures and saw you were starting your founder journey. A few ex-Stripe buddies of mine had great things to say about you and I’d love to connect to learn more about what you’re building and share more about our fund,” the message from the man reads. His name and company have been hidden in the screenshot.

“I know a bunch of people who worked at Stripe and NONE of them have anything good to say about Chad Smith,” joked a user in the comments.

“A few ex-Stripe buddies of mine had great things to say about you” — This is haunting, terrifying. American Psycho remake material,” read another comment.

The incident also highlights the potential dangers of AI technology in the wrong hands. While AI has the potential to revolutionize many industries, it can also be used for malicious purposes, such as creating fake identities or spreading misinformation.

Roshan Patel is the founder and CEO of “Walnut”.