Man sells everything, travels 1,200 miles to meet girlfriend, discovers she's AI
A 49-year-old Brazilian bricklayer has been left heartbroken after selling all his belongings and travelling more than 1,200 miles to meet a woman he believed was his girlfriend, only to discover that she was an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated character.
The man, identified as Edimar Rocha Martins, reportedly fell for a woman named Jéssica Oliveira, also known as Jessica Fazendeira, after coming across her social media account in 2020. Believing she was real, Martins eventually decided to leave his hometown of Imperatriz, in Maranhão, and travel to Belo Horizonte, in Minas Gerais, hoping to meet the woman he had grown attached to online.
In a desperate attempt to make the journey possible, Martins sold all his possessions on October 9 to raise money for the trip. He arrived in Belo Horizonte on October 11, expecting to finally meet the woman he believed could change his life.
“I sold all my things; I got rid of everything,” he reportedly said.
However, his excitement quickly turned into disappointment when he began searching for the woman. Martins visited a radio station in the city, hoping to get information about her, but was told that she did not exist.
“I went to the radio station there, and they said no, that’s fake news, that woman doesn’t exist,” he recounted.
With no money left and nowhere to turn, Martins sought assistance at the Belo Horizonte City Hall, where he explained his situation to a social worker. He reportedly admitted that loneliness had pushed him to take the risk, hoping to find love and companionship.
“It only brings sadness, discouragement, and depression. Many people wanted to find a relationship, so I came,” he said.
The TikTok account associated with Jessica Fazendeira reportedly had around 300,000 followers. The AI-generated woman was portrayed as someone looking for a man willing to move to her farm, with promises that she would provide financial support.
The revelation that the woman was not real left Martins facing the painful reality that the relationship he had hoped to build could never happen as he imagined.
The individual behind the account later clarified that the character was created using artificial intelligence and denied having any direct communication with Martins.
“I came here to state the obvious: I am made of artificial intelligence,” the person said, adding that they had never spoken directly to anyone, much less invited anyone to travel to Belo Horizonte.
Martins is currently staying with a family member as he tries to move on from the disappointing experience. Despite the setback, however, he has not given up on finding love. He reportedly plans to return to Belo Horizonte in the hope of meeting a real woman with whom he can build a lasting relationship.
His story has highlighted the emotional risks of online relationships and the growing challenges posed by AI-generated personalities on social media, particularly for people searching for genuine love and companionship.
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