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Man Travels 2,000 Kilometers for His Dream Woman–But She’s Just AI

A person is photographed from behind on a cobblestone path. They are wearing a dark blue jacket and light-colored pants, balancing several pillows and a suitcase on their shoulder while pulling a dark blue rolling suitcase behind them. The path is lined with low stone walls, green hedges, and numerous palm trees. In the background, there are street lamps and additional buildings.
Edimar Martins traveled about 1,200 miles to Belo Horizonte to find a woman who turned out to be an AI-generated character (stock image). Photo: Getty Images
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November 1, 2026, 7:15 am | Read time: 3 minutes

A bricklayer from Brazil gives up his possessions and embarks on a 2,000-kilometer journey to meet his supposed dream woman. Only upon arrival does he learn that Jéssica doesn’t exist.

Edimar Martins from Imperatriz in northeastern Brazil is 49 years old, a bricklayer, and lonely after his mother’s death. Online, he comes across Jéssica, a young blonde woman seen in photos and videos on a farm. Martins falls in love and eventually decides to leave his home for her. He sells his belongings and sets off with a suitcase for Belo Horizonte.

The bus ride of about 2,000 kilometers takes more than 36 hours. Martins believes Jéssica lives in the state of Minas Gerais. “There’s nothing worse than loneliness. I followed her to see if I could find my happiness,” he says upon arrival. According to him, she had previously written: “I want you to come here and live like a king.”

The unsuccessful search begins in Belo Horizonte

However, Martins doesn’t have an address for Jéssica. In Belo Horizonte, he shows her photo to passersby, hoping someone recognizes the woman. Eventually, he turns to Rádio Itatiaia, the largest station in the region, for a public appeal to aid in the search.

A blonde woman with shoulder-length, wavy hair stands next to several pigs at a wooden feeding trough. She wears a brown, off-the-shoulder top, short denim shorts, and brown boots. In one hand, she holds a black bucket with feed. In the background are green hills, pasture fences, trees, and orange flowers.
AI character Jéssica feeding pigs: “I live alone here on my farm and miss having someone to talk to and share my life with,” she supposedly wrote to the bricklayer.

But at the radio station, Martins learns that he cannot find Jéssica. The woman in the pictures is not a real person but a figure created with artificial intelligence. “They said: No, that’s fake news. This woman doesn’t exist,” he later tells a TV station. For Martins, the hope of a shared life collapses. He demands consequences and warns that people could be deceived by such profiles.

Behind Jéssica is an anonymous AI profile

After the case becomes known, the anonymous operator behind the virtual figure speaks out. Martins apparently understood a video as a personal invitation. However, there was never a conversation between him and Jéssica. The profile was merely created to gather followers and sell products.

Also interesting: Germany plans “AI seahorses” for elementary students

According to Rádio Itatiaia, Martins is not the first man to travel to Belo Horizonte because of a virtual figure. In previous months, two other men reportedly came to the city due to promises of love or work. The city administration eventually pays for Martins’ bus ticket home. However, he doesn’t give up hope for a partner. He sums up his experience with a warning: “It’s good to follow your dreams–but always stay alert.”

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of TECHBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@techbook.de.

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