The Guide #193: Meet Ernesto, the viral America’s Got Talent contestant … who doesn’t exist

In this week’s newsletter: Millions have watched the AI-generated singer’s sob story on social media – even weirder, many don’t even mind if it’s fake

Have you heard Ernesto’s story? It’s a real tearjerker. You may well be familiar with it, in fact, having caught it on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram at some point over the last few weeks.

A hard-working carpenter, Ernesto devoted every ounce of himself to his wife and child, skipping meals and working overtime to provide for them and send his son through college. But things changed: said wife and child grew distant and walked out on poor old Ernesto, who lost his house and sense of purpose, eventually ending up on the streets.

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