An American man living in Beijing for over a decade has filed a lawsuit against a Chinese company, alleging that his facial data was misappropriated and used in artificial intelligence-generated ads for overseas promotion.

Todd Kuhns, 47, who runs a business consulting on mobile advertisements for Chinese enterprises, claimed that the company, Learnings, used his likeness without permission.

Learnings, founded in 2016, is a leading global mobile gaming company and a strategic partner of Google, Meta, and Apple. Kuhns filed the lawsuit at the Beijing Haidian District People's Court in November 2025. His lawyer, Ma Xiao, stated that the first hearing is pending, with no settlement reached yet.

Kuhns recounted discovering the AI-generated ad in August 2024, expressing anger upon learning his image was used without consent.

"I was on set when a director mentioned seeing my AI ads — I hadn't approved any such thing," Kuhns said. He found the ads on the Facebook Ad library, noting sophisticated AI manipulation to make them appear original.

The ads used Kuhns's face to create a doctor avatar, falsely claiming that playing the Vita Mahjong game could improve sleep and cure diseases. "I knew I had to act to protect my career and reputation," Kuhns said, emphasizing his strict no-AI clauses in contracts.

Initially, Kuhns attempted to have the ads removed through platform channels but faced automated responses and dead ends, prompting legal action. While evidence collection posed challenges, particularly due to shell companies in Singapore releasing the ads, Kuhns and his lawyer linked these entities to Learnings.

In late 2025, direct evidence emerged when Learnings promoted "Vita Mahjong" as a successful product, leading to the lawsuit filing. Kuhns sought cessation of infringement, a public apology, financial compensation, and damages for mental distress.

According to a Beijing Youth Daily report, Learnings sent Kuhns a letter in January, stating that its overseas affiliates had removed all potentially infringing videos by December 2025. The company requested Kuhns provide specific links to any remaining content and expressed willingness to communicate further to prevent future issues.