Recipe site AddCakes used an AI-generated likeness of Emily Blunt as a fake baker, one of roughly 2,100 suspected AI recipe domains
A report by Decrypt Ads researcher Zach Edwards found about 400 suspicious websites that appeared to publish AI-generated recipes under the names of fake chefs. Technical links to other sites brought the total to roughly 2,100 domains, many apparently run by the same operators and promoted aggressively on social media. One site, AddCakes, presented a fake baker named Elena who is clearly an AI-generated version of actress Emily Blunt, shown with an AI-generated family. According to location data from X, the person behind AddCakes is based in Morocco. Edwards warned that sites working with Chinese and Russian adtech partners carry a privacy risk for visitors. He also said many of the sites are likely scraping content ideas from real recipe creators. Blunt's representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
What the AI did
About 400 suspicious websites appeared to publish AI-generated recipes under the names of fake chefs. A researcher then linked them through technical fingerprints to roughly 2,100 domains in total. On one site, AddCakes, AI was used to create images of a fake baker called Elena that are clearly a version of actress Emily Blunt, shown with an AI-generated family.
First reported October 20, 2026 · Added to the register November 1, 2026 · 1 source
- Deployer
- AddCakes
- Affected
- Emily Blunt
- Country
- Morocco
- When it happened
- Not stated in the sources
- First reported
- October 20, 2026
What this means for you
Could this affect you?
Several groups were exposed: people visiting these recipe sites, which may send their data to Chinese and Russian advertising-technology partners; celebrities whose likeness is misused; real recipe creators whose work is likely being copied; and advertisers whose ads end up on these deceptive sites.
What to check
- Review where your online ads appear and tighten brand-safety controls to exclude AI content farms.
- Monitor for AI-generated misuse of your likeness or brand.
- Request takedowns of sites that misuse your likeness or brand.
Areas of your AI programme this touches
Every fact and its source (4)
- Researcher behind the reportZach Edwards, Decrypt Ads“Security expert and Decrypt Ads researcher Zach Edwards”[1]
- AI recipe domains identifiedRoughly 2,100“bringing the tally up to roughly 2,100 different domains”[1]
- Privacy risk flaggedData sent via Chinese and Russian adtech partners“websites working with Chinese and Russian adtech partners carry a privacy risk for consumers”[1]
- Suspicious AI recipe sites initially identifiedAbout 400“Security expert and Decrypt Ads researcher Zach Edwards told Futurism that he initially identified about 400 suspicious websites that seemed to be publishing AI-generated recipes under the names of fake chefs.”[1]
Sources
- Recipe Scammers Are Using an AI-Generated Emily Blunt as a Slop Puppet to Promote Their Garbage – Ghanamma.comghanamma.com · October 20, 2026
How this record is classified. Severity M (2/5): harm to individuals, or a policy breach with limited reach. OECD level: incident, an event in which an AI system led to actual harm. Evidence: Reported, meaning press reporting only.
The facts in At a glance and in Every fact and its source are quoted from the sources listed. The summary, What the AI did and What this means for you are written from those sources and checked against them automatically before publication. Records reflect what has been disclosed, not everything that has happened. Incidents are found through news feeds and the GDELT Project.
