Brazilian man travels to meet AI persona, receives help

Edimar Martins sold his belongings and travelled from Maranhão to Belo Horizonte hoping to meet a woman he believed could become his partner, but learned that the online persona was generated by artificial intelligence. After running short of money, he received help from municipal services to leave the city. Martins, a 49-year-old bricklayer, said he found a social-media account featuring Jéssica Oliveira, also known as Jéssica Fazendeira, in 2020. Its videos portrayed a woman living on a farm and offered potential partners accommodation and financial support. The account reportedly had more than 300,000 followers. Martins said he sold his possessions on October 9, 2026, to pay for the bus trip and arrived in Belo Horizonte on October 11. He carried photographs of the woman and searched for her, asking people whether they recognized her. After failing to find her, he went to a local radio station for help and learned that the character was not a real person. The videos’ offers were made publicly to viewers. The available reporting does not establish that Martins exchanged private messages with the account or that its operator personally persuaded him to travel. The person...