That’s mental illness: Chebet Ronoh criticises young people using AI photos online
By Paulette Mboga, May 15, 2026Content creator Chebet Ronoh has criticised young people using AI-generated photos online, saying the growing trend is affecting how people think and present themselves on social media.
Chebet said artificial intelligence was originally meant to support human thinking, but she now believes it is slowly replacing natural human expression. She explained that many people are becoming too dependent on AI.
“There is a pandemic that needs an injection. There is a virus called ‘AI’ that is…it is taking over the nations. It is taking over the brains,” Chebet Ronoh said on Friday, May 15, 2026.
The content creator further explained that AI was supposed to help people instead of controlling how they think and behave online. According to her, the technology is changing how people see themselves.
“AI came to enhance our human brain. But now it has come to overtake the human brain because people are slowly becoming computers,” Chebet Ronoh explained.
Chebet also spoke about AI-generated profile photos and edited pictures shared online. She said she understands older people using AI images to imagine themselves at a younger age.
“When I see people post AI pictures of themselves, especially if you are old, it is fine. You want to imagine how you looked when you were younger,” Chebet Ronoh said.
Concern over AI photo trends
The content creator, however, questioned why young people are heavily relying on AI images instead of using their real photos. She explained that the trend worries her because many young people are becoming attached to artificial versions of themselves.
“When I see young people use AI as pictures of themselves, I just think…” Chebet Ronoh said.
Chebet also criticised how people react to AI-generated photos online. She pointed out that some social media users compliment AI pictures while the owners of the edited images accept the praise as if the photos were real.
“And the funny thing is, people in the comments will be like, ‘You look beautiful,’ and the person will say, ‘Thank you.'” Chebet Ronoh explained.
The content creator said the behaviour shows how deeply people are becoming attached to AI-generated content online. According to her, the situation has become unhealthy and concerning.
“Like that is a mental illness,” Chebet Ronoh said.
Her remarks have added to the ongoing debate around artificial intelligence, online identity, and how social media users are using AI-generated content in their everyday lives.