On Etsy, where buyers routinely perform reverse image search to verify a product is truly artisan and not drop-shipped, authenticity is the ultimate currency. This is what made a recent story from the subreddit r/digitalproductselling all the more curious. A post ignited a debate pitting AI ethics against entrepreneurship in the ever-evolving world of online income and hustle culture.
The author outlined their clever, if controversial, side-hustle strategy that consistently generates a monthly four-figures: leveraging a completely fictional influencer — a friendly, relatable AI-generated “mom” — to market their digital products.
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The Blueprint of a Digital Business
The original poster's process is a sort of modern twist on affiliate marketing and brand building. It began not with a business loan, but with AI image generation software. "First, I created my AI influencer in ComfyUI. I styled her as a relatable mom who posts about parenting, kids, and family life. Instead of looking like a polished model, she looks like a friendly mom you'd meet at a playground," the poster wrote.
After creating this digital persona, the author ramped up to the community-building stage, joining Facebook groups for mothers. The AI-generated mom would then share “her motherly advice” in posts and videos created with tools like Kling, offering tips on newborn care, home organization and self-care. "Because the content is genuinely helpful, moms in those groups naturally engaged with her posts," the poster wrote.
The key piece of the revenue puzzle: an Etsy (NASDAQ:ETSY) shop stocked with products for the target audience. Items include baby milestone trackers, printable planners and household management templates. The AI influencer integrated these products into her content, saying things like, "Here's how I keep track of feeding times with my printable schedule — it's been a lifesaver."
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This strategy of providing free value to build trust before introducing a paid product is a classic pillar of marketing. The twist, of course, is that the trusted authority figure is a fabrication.
Divided Reactions from Redditors
Opinions regarding the poster's business practice in the post's comments were divided, and for every defender there were a few critics, highlighting the tension in digital marketing ethics.
“I hate what humanity is becoming,” wrote the top commenter. Another added, “As a mom this is terrifying,” sparking a concerned thread about the dangers of AI “hallucinations” giving potentially harmful advice.
The central question of authenticity was put directly to the OP. “If the ‘mom’ isn't real, then isn't it essentially conning actual parents…? Feels like trust and relatability are being manufactured.”
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OP's defense was pragmatic, framing the AI not as the salesperson, but as a traffic driver. "I think there is a misunderstanding of what I'm doing. I'm not using [the] ai influencer to sell the product. I'm using her to drive traffic to my Etsy shop. My description and presentation on Etsy is what sells. It's my landing page."
This clarification won over at least one skeptic, who replied, "oh ok. my bad. now i get it. its quite creative how you have thought and executed it."
Others offered support, with one user writing, "Despite all the negative comments, I think you did something that 99% of those people probably hope to achieve. Personally I don’t see any problems as you’re helping actual people and your products are not a scam."
The OP themselves seemed to wrestle with the ethics of their scheme, closing their original post with a touch of self-awareness. "[Do] I feel weird about this? Yeah. But an extra 2k a month is pretty nice."
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Image: Shutterstock
