Backstory behind TikTok's Jean Philanthrope is proof dead internet theory is coming true

We learned long ago not to trust everything you see online, and while it used to be a case of being able to easily call out AI videos of Will Smith gobbling bowls of spaghetti, it's getting harder than ever to distinguish what's real and what's not.

Things have gotten so bad that the US military had to step in and reiterate that President Donald Trump's shared video about an all-out bombing of Iran's Kharg Island wasn't legitimate. While most have become accustomed to the POTUS sharing 'AI slop' on his Truth Social, even the most tech-savvy internet surfers are likely to be caught out by the odd rogue video.

Yes, you can probably spot that a portly MAGA supporter being blown into the air after a Mentos truck and soda tanker crashed into each other isn't real, but now, the craze of AI influencers like Jean Philanthrope has seen the dead internet theory rear its head with a vengeance.

Who is Jean Philanthrope?

We previously warned about how AI influencers were taking hold at the likes of Coachella while us flesh and blood humans are scrambling around in the mud, with various experts predicting what these accounts are actually making.

More than just looking out for potential AI creations on dating apps, we're now told that our TikTok and Instagram feeds are being filled with a cavalcade of characters that aren't even there at all.

Even though there are humans behind the curtain somewhere, there’s been a recent boom of 'influencers' like the viral Jean Philanthrope and Archibald Brown.

Move over AI conjoined twinfluencers because Higgsfield is adding a who's who of AI creations. A short but dramatic history saw Jean Philanthrope (his surname means to love humans) appear on a new TikTok account on September 17.

As it looked like any generic video of an influencer shadowboxing in an apartment, his first post largely flew under the radar. Some were intrigued by Philanthrope's Elizabethan bob haircut and retro dress sense, making him something of a blonde Lord Farquad.

Just days later, Philanthrope's creators seemed to find that magic sauce when they shared a similar video of him shadowboxing to Nelly's "Dilemma" under a tree in Paris. His Instagram and TikTok accounts soared by thousands, and in a matter of days, that video had over five million views.

This was just the start of Jean Philanthrope's fame, and at the time of writing, he has 239,000 followers on Instagram as well as 261,100 on TikTok. Of course, he isn't alone.

Even if the hype has somewhat died down, Jean Philanthrope is now seen as the 'AI influencer blueprint' as he's joined by others.

Archibald Brown is effectively the British version of Philanthrope, while Derek Mercer moves away from the out-there dandy trope as a realistic young man who wears tight-fitting tops and ripped jeans.

How are AI influencers promoting the dead internet theory?

We're not saying that there aren't people out there who look like Philanthrope or Brown, and while we don't want to mock the way anyone looks, most of these viral creations tend to have unique and sometimes absurd features that stray just enough into the uncanny valley for us to realize they aren't real.

On social media, many noted how these Higgsfield AI influencers are backing up the dead internet theory by crowding out actual creators. For those who don't know, the dead internet theory is when the majority of content created for the internet is made by robots rather than humans.

One post on X stated: "Dead internet theory is real. You can actually create an AI character and get 200k followers in 1 week. Please don’t buy a $299 course."

Another added: "Social media will really die out because of stuff like this. Next up, the dead internet theory will eventually kick in too.

A third complained: "Dead internet theory is real x 2. Jean Phil has a mum now. They got 200k followers in 1 week."

Yes, the Philanthrope family is now growing!

There are numerous how-to guides about creating these AI influencers, telling wannabe Philanthrope owners to scrape popular videos from real creators on TikTok, then feed them through Higgsfield and swap out the OP for an AI creator.

Worse than this, it's possible to automate the system, meaning some people are churning out dozens of these AI creator videos every day, sitting back, and watching the dollars roll in.

We imagine influencers are quaking in their algorithms right now.