The Australian "AI startup" turned out to be a fake

The service that advertised communication with "AI girls" actually used live operators from Africa. One worker could simultaneously handle several chats, mimicking the work of artificial intelligence.

Operators were paid about $0.05 per message, with strict KPIs and high workloads. Externally, the project was positioned as a tech startup.

The case illustrates a common practice: under the brand "AI", companies sometimes disguise cheap manual labor to attract users and investors.