Olivia Dunne Is Embroiled in Controversy Right Now — Here’s Why

Olivia Dunne is a gymnast from LSU who has over 10 million social media followers. And because of her large social media following, Dunne has NIL deals with multiple companies, including the AI essay generator called Caktus AI. Dunne posted a TikTok video promoting Caktus AI back in February and has received some heat because many people believe the product is a form of academic cheating since it’s considered “the first-ever educational artificial intelligence tool” and “will provide real resources for you to cite at the end of your essays and paragraphs,” as mentioned by BroBible. 

Following Dunne’s post, LSU released a statement. “Technology, including AI, can foster learning and creativity,” said university spokesperson Alison Satake, per BroBible. “At LSU, our professors and students are empowered to use technology for learning and pursuing the highest standards of academic integrity. However, using AI to produce work that a student then represents as one’s own could result in a charge of academic misconduct, as outlined in the Code of Student Conduct. More information for faculty can be found here on ‘What College Faculty Should Know about ChatGPT.’“

@livvy

@caktus.ai will provide real resources for you to cite at the end of your essays and paragraphs;) #caktus #foryou

♬ original sound – Coach

Caktus AI was started by former Norte Dame Kicker Harrison Leonard and Michigan engineering grade Tao Zhang. Leonard recently told On3 Sports that Dunne’s Deal with Caktus was cleared through LSU Compliance. “Schools have been pushing this off for a long time, not actually making statements,” Leonard said. “That really goes to show the power of NIL and the power of Livvy Dunne. She made that statement and she made that conversation begin, which is amazing and just goes to show her power. She’s dealt with it perfectly.

“I mean, there’s been a lot of reading in between the lines on LSU’s statement. If you actually go back and you read the full statement, you can tell it’s rather it’s more of a positive statement rather than a threat.” Dunne’s post has been viewed over 1.5 million times, but the comments have been turned off. “I think it’s really good. I mean, I think in terms of what we want, as we want the conversation to start in AI,” Leonard continued. “The sooner that the message is being portrayed, we’re gonna see more and more of it. And we’re gonna start seeing it for like a good cause.”