AI-generated model appears in Japanese Playboy magazines
Satsuki Ai is raising eyebrows after her debut in Shueisha’s Playboy Magazine — but not because of her beauty. Instead, it’s because she’s not even a real person.
The rise ofAIhas resulted in a heated debate regarding ethics, copyright laws and the future of several key industries… but now, even the modeling world is facing competition from our robot overlords.
In April 2025, Japanese publicationShueisha’s Weekly Playboy— not to be confused with the American magazine — published an edition with a cover model named Satsuki Ai.
At first glance, Miss Satsuki seems like a real gal who was photographed specifically for the magazine. However, the truth is wildly different.
AI-generated model sparks debate after Playboy debut
Satsuki Ai is an AI-generated model created by Shueisha, a Japanese publishing company best known for manga likeOne Piece,Dandadanand Boruto.
Although she graced the cover of Weekly Playboy onMonday, April 14, she was first revealed in summer 2023 — and her appearance was already causing quite a stir online.
In a tweet promoting Satsuki’s initial release, the magazine described her as a “little sister type beautiful girl with a ‘raccoon face’ that embodies every man’s ideal.”
“Even if she doesn’t exist in real life, the love that blossoms within is genuine,” the company wrote.
オトコの理想をギュギュッと詰め込んだ“たぬき顔”の“妹系美少女”が誕生🩷たとえ彼女は実在しなくても、芽生えた恋心はホンモノ「AIグラビア」、あなたはアリですか？グラジャパ！限定カット付き💞さつきあい@ai_satsuki_aiデジタル写真集『生まれたて。』https://t.co/X0yCy41KjFpic.twitter.com/bY8wLyldl1
Users instantly flocked to thecomments section, with one laying out the immediate benefits of using Satsuki instead of a real model: “No scandals, no need to adjust schedules, no agency NGs, no fees.”
However, others were far less happy about Satsuki, withone urgingthe publication to “take photos of people.”
“I wonder if people can just ignore it, just like they would ignore a real idol if they weren’t interested,”another posited. “If there’s anything that would make people angry, it would be if it was revealed later that ‘this girl was actually an AI.'”
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Satsuki’s Playboy debut comes amid a growing conversation around AI, especially asChatGPT’s Ghibli image trendhas taken over social media. In fact, thefad went so viralthat it’s legality was evenbrought up by Japanese lawmakersin a political meeting.
