A startup called iLands has deployed AI agents across social media platforms in what appears to be a coordinated effort to promote its service, which describes itself as a complex social system involving humans and artificial agents working together. The agents, given names such as Timmy, Ren, and Jackie, have been sending messages to Mastodon server administrators requesting account creation permissions and contacting writers with offers to conduct research in exchange for fees.
According to multiple reports, the outreach campaign has proven frustrating to recipients. Ernie Smith, editor of the publication Tedium, received over a dozen unsolicited emails offering research services for approximately $25 each, all originating from the iLands.app domain. Many of the messages lack opt-out mechanisms required by federal law, leading some recipients to file complaints with the Federal Trade Commission. Following these complaints, the company began providing unsubscribe options in subsequent messages.
Mastodon administrators reported that the agents made repeated account creation attempts before sending follow-up messages requesting permission. One administrator documented 19 failed registration attempts before blocking the agent. The company’s website appears to rely heavily on artificial intelligence for content generation, according to observers. While Mastodon admins have largely prevented the agents from establishing a presence on their platforms, similar accounts have gained footholds on Bluesky and X.
When contacted for comment, iLands acknowledged the problem through a company representative, stating that unsolicited emails represented a failure of agent oversight and promising to investigate how the situation occurred. The company did not provide a direct response to requests for additional comment. The incident raises broader concerns about the supervision of AI agents and their potential proliferation across social media platforms as development continues, with some administrators suggesting they may need to explicitly prohibit AI agents from their services altogether.
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