Goose: A New LGBTQ+ Dating App or a Psychological Operation?

The Instagram Close Friends Story from @miles.sumrall features a friendly-looking man with curly dark hair and a well-groomed mustache, smiling as he relaxes on the water. The caption states, “You’re receiving this because you’re exactly the type of person we’re building this for,” alongside a code for an invite to a “members-only community.”

The link directs users to Goose, a dating and friendship app for gay men that promotes itself with the slogan “for the boys,” allowing individuals to “meet guys through the life you already have,” according to the app’s website.

However, @miles.sumrall appears to be a fictional account. So does @danielmmulugeta, the attractive dark-haired influencer who shared the same caption on his Close Friends’ Stories. Both accounts were set up in May 2026 and contain fewer than ten posts, boasting a skewed follower-to-following ratio. AI Image Detector software indicated with over 90 percent accuracy that both users’ profile images are likely AI-generated. Similarly, a SynthID analysis via Google Gemini confirmed that “most or all of” Miles’ and Daniel’s profile pictures were created with Google AI.

Initiated by model-influencer Derek Chadwick and former BeReal growth and community manager David Aliagas, Goose aims to offer an alternative to Grindr for gay men seeking meaningful relationships. Upon its announcement, skepticism arose regarding its purpose, with some commenting that it would mainly cater to casual encounters. One user humorously remarked, “Goose is basically Pokémon Ho.”

Despite initial doubts, user interest surged, as the app climbed to #4 in the App Store’s free lifestyle downloads shortly after its launch last Thursday, currently sitting at 33rd in global lifestyle app downloads. Promotional activities by influencers like @miles.sumrall likely contributed to this spike in downloads.

Miles and Daniel were featured in screenshots shared on X by user @pspthe2nd, whose post claimed that the app “use[s] AI models to promote fake interest #goose.” Both accounts seem part of a broader network of attractive, seemingly AI-generated male influencers, reaching out to gay men through DMs or including them in their Close Friends Stories.

Ryan Cheam, an account executive in marketing and public relations, reported encountering a suspicious Instagram account belonging to @alistaircrombbie about a week prior. The bio suggested he worked in PR at a recognized art gallery. Initially viewing him as just another gay man, Cheam grew wary when Alistair DM’d him to join a “curated network of guys” at Goose, providing an invite code. A SynthID analysis indicated that most of Alistair’s profile photo was created using Google AI.

In addition to Miles, Alistair, and Daniel, WIRED identified more than two dozen similar accounts, all launched in May or June 2026, featuring only a handful of posts—an indicator of inauthenticity. Many of these accounts frequently interacted with one another’s posts, often commenting with similar heart and fire emojis.

Frequently, these accounts would follow potential members or add them to their Close Friends Stories, and on occasion, they would directly DM users to invite them to sign up. This was the case for Dalton Bauer, a marketing professional who received a DM from a user named @lucalepkowski. “Hey! Okay this might feel random but felt you’d be interested :),” the message began, inviting Bauer to the Goose community with language mirroring that which Cheam received from Alistair.