Earning from an Instagram Account Using a Fully AI-Generated Influencer

29-6-2026 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalamu Alaikum. I run an Instagram account using a fully AI-generated influencer (not a real person). I share beneficial content and sell an educational e-book about mindset and investing. I earned $15 from a sale. Most viewers assume the AI character is real, though I do not explicitly claim it is real and would answer truthfully if asked. Is operating this business and earning from it halal? If not, what should I do with the income and account?Thats my account: @richard_kane__

---

Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

We see no objection to this work. The fact that the character is imaginary and not real does not affect the ruling; what matters is the soundness of the final content itself and its being free from any matters prohibited by Sharīʿah.

Likewise, digital images, in principle, do not fall under the images that are religiously prohibited, because they have no physical reality; they only appear through their specific devices, when the necessary conditions and specifications required to display them are met.

Allah Knows best