LeBron James takes drastic legal step, issuing cease and desist notice to AI video makers

The rise of AI has led to a lot of fake videos of athletes and celebrities, including LeBron James. According to 404 Media, the four-time NBA champion’s legal team sent a cease-and-desist notice to the company that created Interlink AI. It’s an AI tool that allowed users to make videos of NBA players.

According to the outlet, some users used the tool to create AI-generated images and videos depicting James as being pregnant. In June, the moderators of the Interlink AI Discord server released a statement, referencing “legal issues” the company encountered.

“This change comes after we ran into legal issues involving a highly valued basketball player, and to avoid any further complications, we’ve chosen to take a proactive approach and fully remove all realistic likenesses from the site,” the statement read.

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"We know this may be disappointing for some of you who were enjoying the realism in your content, but this move protects the future of the platform and allows us to focus on building something even bigger.”

With news of James' legal team pursuing action against the company that created Interlink AI, it's could be why they decided to pivot.

Three accounts that posted AI-generated images of James were deleted by Instagram. However, the platform's parent company, Meta, declined to comment when asked whether they were sent a cease and desist notice by his legal team.

When Angel Reese called out social media users for making AI-generated images of her just like LeBron James

LeBron James is one of the first celebrities to threaten legal action against a company for AI-generated content. However, it's not the first time AI-generated content made headlines in the basketball community.

In March 2024, while playing at LSU, Angel Reese found AI-generated images of herself on social media, including some that were explicit.

Reese fired back via her X account.

"creating fake AI pictures of me is crazy and weird AF!" Reese tweeted.

During an episode of her "Unapologetically Angel" show in December, Reese revealed that her family members were sent explicit AI-generated images of her. At the time, they believed they were real.

As Reese and her guest explained, it's impossible to get every AI-generated image taken down.

However, James and his team are optimistic that they can cut the problem off at the source by going at the companies behind the tools.

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About the author

Evan Bell

Evan Bell is a journalist specializing in the NBA and NHL at Sportskeeda, whose love for the game stems from a childhood spent watching the Chicago Bulls. He has been there through their highs and lows, from the Jordan era to the exciting Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah years.

Evan finds the 82-game season and the intensity of playoff basketball exhilarating, and he also revels in the offseason drama. Phil Jackson stands out as his favorite coach, whom he admires for his composed leadership and success in managing dynamic personalities like Dennis Rodman.

To deliver top-quality content, Evan fact-checks information while diligently keeping up with the action year-round.

When he's not writing, Evan follows tennis and Greek football, and also plays basketball and tennis.

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