Brazilian bricklayer sells belongings, travels 2,000 km to meet AI-generated woman

A 49-year-old Brazilian bricklayer sold his belongings and traveled more than 2,000 kilometers in search of love, only to discover the woman he hoped to marry was an AI-generated creation.

Edimar Rocha Martins left Imperatriz in the state of Maranhão on October 9, after selling his personal possessions to fund a lengthy bus journey to Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil.

The trip covered roughly 2,000–2,100 kilometers (about 1,200–1,300 miles) and took more than 36 hours.

He arrived on October 11 expecting to begin a new life with a woman he had followed online.

Martins had become drawn to a social media account operating under the names Jéssica Oliveira and Jessica Fazendeira.

The TikTok profile, which amassed more than 300,000 followers, featured realistic videos of an attractive blonde woman who presented herself as a farm owner.

In the clips she said she was looking for a man to move onto her property and offered to support him financially so he would never have to work again.

“I really want to support you, I want you to come to my farm and never work again in your life,” the AI persona stated in one video.

The bricklayer said he never suspected the account was artificial.

He later told reporters he had engaged in private conversations with the profile and that the woman had offered to help with his travel costs.

Loneliness after personal hardships, including the death of his mother in some accounts, contributed to his decision.

“I came in search of happiness,” Martins said. “I have 49 years, I am divorced.”

Once in Belo Horizonte without a specific address, he walked the streets showing photos of the woman and asking strangers if they recognized her.

No one did. He also sought help at a local radio station. “I went to the radio station there, and they said no, that’s fake news, that woman doesn’t exist,” he recounted.

“I had already walked around with several photos, showing them and asking if anyone knew this person, and everyone said no, so I felt deceived.”

Stranded and nearly out of money, Martins turned to city social services.
Belo Horizonte authorities provided food, shelter assistance, and a bus ticket home to Augustinópolis in Tocantins.

“I sold all my things, I got rid of everything,” he said of the preparations for the journey.

“That’s how you get discouraged, who wouldn’t get discouraged?” He later added that the experience brought “sadness, discouragement, depression.”

The person behind the account later posted a video acknowledging the character was artificial intelligence and denying any private conversations or invitation to Belo Horizonte.

“I came here to state the obvious: I am made of artificial intelligence,” the AI figure said.

“I have never spoken to anyone with this profile. The intention was to gain engagement for sale.”

The account was subsequently deleted. Martins has said he still hopes to find a partner and may return to the city under different circumstances.