AI Disclosed: Haaland Deepfake Sells South Korean Diffuser

AI image detection flagged a fake Erling Haaland selling a South Korean diffuser, the latest celebrity likeness used to advertise with no consent and no fee.

Any brand would love an international star to promote them. There's just that pesky detail of paying them that prevents most brands from having that luxury.

Erling Haaland, an international soccer star, commands north of 8 figures (like his $20m+ with Nike) to partner with and promote a brand.

It's surprising to see him standing shirtless in a hotel room with a South Korean diffuser product placement in the frame.

Welcome to the new form of advertising: AI product and people placement.

As surprising as it was to see the advertisement, there was no shock that AI or Not's AI image detector detected it as AI-generated.

The AI-generated Erling Haaland image with AI or Not's detection verdict The viral image with AI or Not's detection verdict. Source: AI or Not tracker

Key Takeaways on AI Celebrity Endorsements

Accounts are using AI to put a celebrity's face on a product without asking the celebrity or paying for the endorsement.
In this case, a Haaland lookalike stands beside a real South Korean reed diffuser, and AI or Not says the photo is AI-generated.
Haaland is a frequent AI subject, with AI or Not tracking several fake images of him.
Laws against unauthorized AI likeness in ads are still bills in Denmark and the US.
AI image detection is how a reader, brand or agent checks whether the endorsement is real.

AI Product Placement: How the Haaland Diffuser Post Works

The recipe has three ingredients: a lookalike star, a real product in frame and a lifestyle caption. The Japanese cosmetics account @cosme_arina posted the image on X on October 20, and it was viewed more than 880,000 times.

The caption, which X auto-translates from Japanese, reads: "I get it. Just placing this diffuser turns the room into a high-end hotel with a clean, luxurious vibe." Nothing on the post marks it as an ad.

The post also quote-posts an October 14 message from @hichan_biyou, who wrote: "It's so unfair that most of those clean-cut macho types have this diffuser on display." That is a sign the post follows a format.

The @cosme_arina post on X showing the AI-generated Haaland image The @cosme_arina post on X, quote-posting @hichan_biyou.

The frame is a shirtless, barefoot man resembling Haaland in navy boxer briefs, in a hotel room with a bed, two lamps, an armchair and a black reed diffuser in the right foreground. The staging is a little too tidy, like a hotel brochure that has never met a guest.

The bottle label reads "HETRESA" (the brand has an extra syllable it didn't ask for). The real bottle reads "HETRAS."

The product itself is real. Hetras is a South Korean home fragrance brand based in Seoul, with a store in Seongsu, and its Hotel Wood line is a "#1 Best Seller" in Reed Diffuser Sets on Amazon Japan even with subpar reviews. Guess Erling Haaland can really sell anything.

The hetras Hotel Wood diffuser listing on Amazon Japan The Hotel Wood listing on Amazon Japan.

Most AI image generators are diffusion models, which makes this a diffusion model's idea of selling a diffuser.

Why Haaland: The World Cup's Biggest AI Star

Haaland's face is already a free-floating asset. Euronews reported in July that much of the Haaland content online is AI-generated, in its words "not actually his and ... largely AI-generated."

One fake restaurant clip, with his face swapped onto a skit by the Chinese duo Jin Long and Qiu Qiu, passed 31 million views on X. Euronews wrote: "The correction did not slow the clip down."

AI or Not has also flagged an AI "HAALAND limited edition" figurine and an AI image of him on a yacht. Selling a diffuser with that face is the next step.

Haaland is the newest name on a list that keeps growing. In October 2023, Tom Hanks warned his Instagram followers that a dental plan ad used an AI version of him, adding, "I have nothing to do with it."

In January 2024, a deepfake of Taylor Swift's voice pushed a fake Le Creuset giveaway. Le Creuset said it had no involvement.

The same move has since reached fashion, with Luigi Mangione used to model for Shein and Sadie Sink turning up in Calvin Klein deepfakes.

The economics are the story. An endorsement used to need an agent, a contract and a fee, and Haaland's Nike deal is the high end of that. Now it just needs a prompt.

Japan's stealth marketing rule, in effect since October 1, 2023, requires brand-directed promotion to be identifiable as advertising, with labels like "ad" or "PR." This post carries no label. The rule covers posts a brand directs, so it applies only if a brand was behind this one.

Denmark's L 49 bill would give people copyright-style control over realistic digital imitations of their face and voice. It was introduced on October 8, 2026 and has not passed. The law moves at roughly the speed of a reed diffuser.

Erling Haaland Deepfake FAQ

Is Erling Haaland Promoting a Hetras Diffuser?

No, there's no sign he is. AI image detection says the image is AI-generated, and the bottle label in it is misspelled.

Is It Legal to Use a Celebrity's AI Likeness in an Ad?

In many places, using someone's likeness to advertise without consent can violate right-of-publicity laws, and California is one example. Laws written for AI likenesses specifically, like Denmark's L 49 and the US NO FAKES Act, are still bills.

How Does AI Image Detection Check a Celebrity Endorsement Photo?

You upload the image to AI or Not and the detector returns a verdict on whether it is AI-generated. Pair that with a check of the celebrity's verified accounts and any ad label on the post.