Goose, New Gay Dating App, Appears to be Psychop

The Instagram My best friends Story of @miles.sumrall it shows a handsome man with curly black hair and an elaborate mustache shining as he floats on the water. “You’re getting this because you’re the type of person we’re making this for,” the caption reads, along with an invitation number to a “members-only group.”

The link leads to the entry of goosea dating and friendship app for gay men with the tagline “for guys,” which allows users to “meet guys in the lifestyle you already have,” according to its website.

The problem is that @miles.sumrall doesn’t seem real. Neither does @danielmmulugeta, with the beautiful black hair the influencer whoever shared the above quote, with the same quote, go ahead his Stories About Your Close Friends. All of these accounts were created in May 2026 and have less than 10 posts and a high follower to follower ratio. And both of them Instagram avatars were determined with more than 90 percent confidence to be AI-generated, according to the AI ​​Image Detector software. See SynthID Google Gemini, which can help identify AI-generated images, also found that “most or all” of Miles and Daniel’s images were created using Google AI.

Created by model-influencer Derek Chadwick, and former BeReal CEO and regional manager David Aliagas, Goose positions itself as a leader. Grindr an alternative for gay men who want to build long-term relationships. At the time it was announced, many scoffed at the idea that the app would be used for anything other than finding casual hookups. “Goose is actually Pokémon Ho,” user X joked.

However, user interest was so high that when the app was launched last Thursday, it rose to #4 in the App Store’s free downloads, and is now ranked #33 in the world’s most downloaded apps. And ads from developers like @miles.sumrall probably helped drive more people to download the app.

Miles and Daniel appeared in a photo shared on X by user @pspthe2nd, whose post said that the app “uses (a) AI models to promote false interest. #tseuse.” But both accounts appear to be part of an elaborate, seemingly AI-generated network that promotes the app, either by reaching out to gay men via DM or adding them to their Nearby Stories.

Ryan Cheam, account manager for marketing and public relations, says he first noticed the unusual Instagram account of someone named @alistaircrombie about a week ago. His bio says he works in PR for a well-known art studio, so, Cheam tells WIRED, “I thought he was just a normal guy.” He became suspicious, however, when Alistair DMed him to join the “boy group” at Goose, and sent him an invitation number. A SynthID investigation found that “most or all” of Alistair’s photos were created using Google AI.

In addition to Miles, Alistair, and Daniel, WIRED was able to identify more than a dozen similar accounts, all of which were created in May or June 2026 and displayed only a few posts — a common sign of trusted accounts. Many accounts also frequently comment on each other’s photos, including the same heart and fire emojis.

In most cases, accounts follow potential members and add them to their Close Friends Stories, but sometimes they send them directly to encourage them to sign up, as in the case of Dalton Bauer, who works in marketing and received a DM from a user named @lucalepkowski. “Okay, this may seem random but you might like it :),” the message began before calling Bauer to Goose’s group, using the same language Cheam had received from Alistair.