For most of her career, Simone Biles has controlled the narrative around her greatness. With 11 Olympic medals, 30 World Championship titles, and a legacy as the most decorated gymnast in history, she has spent a lifetime perfecting the art of balance. On the beam, in the air, in the public eye—each step, each move calibrated with precision. But balance is hard to maintain when the internet tilts reality. In recent weeks, the seven-time Olympic Gold medalist has found herself at the center of an unsettling digital storm, not because of a new gravity-defying skill, but because of something far more insidious, that is Fabricated pregnancy announcements featuring Biles and her husband, NFL safety Jonathan Owens!
Biles found herself at the center of an AI-generated misinformation storm on Facebook, which received a fair amount of backlash in the Gymnastics community.
The backlash erupted after a Reddit user shared their disturbing experience: “I’m trying really hard to break my Meta usage, but while scrolling FB (looking for a family member’s obituary) I was shown three different AI-generated posts congratulating Simone and Jonathan on being pregnant?” The user went on to describe how the posts were not just text-based rumors but altered images: “They shopped a baby bump on her [Simone Biles], one even showed her in a hospital holding a newborn.”
Calling it “so creepy and invasive and icky,” the user’s post quickly gained traction, with many echoing their frustration over Facebook’s role in spreading misinformation. “May I just repeat that this is so creepy and invasive and icky, one of the million reasons we all need to ditch FB/IG/Threads.”
And AI-generated misinformation? It’s the new, invisible opponent that even the fastest athletes can’t outrun.
Not just Simone Biles, Justin Gatlin was once caught in the crossfire too
Misinformation in sports isn’t new, but artificial intelligence has taken it to another level—Now, it is Simone Biles. Earlier, it was Justin Gatlin. 2004 Olympic champion, known for his intense rivalry with Usain Bolt, found himself in a different kind of race.
A video began circulating, featuring what seemed to be Gatlin analyzing Bolt’s career. The voice in the clip sounded just like him, breaking down Bolt’s form, calling out supposed flaws, and questioning his dominance!
“Usain Bolt wasn’t as unbeatable as everyone makes him out to be. His top-end speed was incredible, but his starts and form weren’t perfect. He was fast and dominant when he was in full flight, but if you break it down, there are flaws in his races. Don’t get me wrong,” the video said. Fans took it at face value. Was this Gatlin finally revealing his unfiltered thoughts about his greatest rival? No!
“That ain’t me, bro! That’s AI Justin,” Gatlin said on his ‘Ready Set Go’ podcast, making it clear he never made those comments. His co-host, Rodney Green, was equally stunned. “It sounds like you! But I don’t remember you ever giving this take,” Green said in disbelief.
Even Gatlin himself was shocked by the fake clip. “Listen boy, where AI live at? I’m about to pull up on AI, dog. That’s crazy!” he added, his frustration turning to disbelief at how realistic the manipulation was. Well, be it Gatlin or Biles, this is just one of the prices one has to pay for fame. Now the question is, is it inevitable? or should people respect that athletes are at the end of the day, just human beings like the rest? Let us know in the comments below!
