Coffee Shop Apology for Using Popular Idol’s Face in AI Sparks More Backlash

NCT’s Jaehyun is facing backlash after a coffee shop used his image without permission in an AI-generated ad.

The controversy began when fans spotted photos of Jaehyun posing as a model for Blissway Coffee. The images quickly went viral, racking up over three million views. Fans soon realized the photos were created using AI and accused the brand of illegally using Jaehyun’s face to promote their coffee.

Fans flooded social media, demanding the company be reported for copyright infringement.

“Someone used AI to create an ad for their coffee brand what the fuck”
— rini ｡◕ ̫ ◕｡ | 주먹밥냥이 (@tyongisacat_)

“Isn’t this an infringement of copyrights and should be reported ”
— yve (@alwaysjae0214)

“Report to kwangya this café for using Jaehyun’s image to edit it for their brand”
— += MayLowkeykalat (@MayLoWrites)

Soon after, Blissway Coffee issued a public apology.

“Hello, I did mention this to someone who just contacted me…First off, this wasn’t something I had been looking at closely, so I deleted it shortly after. I apologize once again for any inconvenience I may have caused. Since I did not proceed with any malicious intent and the celebrity was someone I was interested in, I think I was completely unaware of the resemblance. I am truly sorry.
Since I received it upon request, I never even considered that it might be similar. I apologize once again for causing the inconvenience. If this was done intentionally, I am undeniably at fault, but since that is not the case, I would be grateful for your understanding. I have immediately proceeded with the deletion and am reviewing the matter once again.
Because of my age, I failed to realize that this was a very famous celebrity. I didn’t think much when posting it. I didn’t even realize they looked alike, so I have deleted the image. I will discuss this internally tomorrow, delete this account, and create a new one in the future. Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience at this late hour.”
— Blissway Coffee

Fans, however, remain skeptical that the brand didn’t know who Jaehyun was.

“What is this? This is happening at an actual cafe and not a birthday cafe event?”
“How did they run the AI for a specific celebrity to show up?”
“A celebrity that I’m not interested in? What do you mean? Does that even make sense?”
“How is this even possible? Unless they specifically mentioned a celebrity, you’re saying that a specific idol’s face comes up when you run AI? LOL.”

The incident has sparked a heated debate about AI use and copyright in K-pop advertising. Blissway Coffee has deleted the images and promised to review the situation internally. Fans continue to watch closely for any further updates.