Earlier this month, business publication Benzinga published what they billed as an interview with rapper and cannabis entrepreneur Gilbert Anthony “Berner” Milam, Jr. In the apparent interview, Benzinga contributor David Daxsen appeared to press Milam Jr. on growing concerns over lawsuits that were filed against his cannabis company Cookies. In April, the entrepreneur was accused of using strongarming and bullying tactics to run the brand, generating millions of dollars in kickbacks. “The lawsuits against Cookies allege that coercive tactics were employed to compel stakeholders into providing benefits and kickbacks to our company’s executives,” Milam Jr. allegedly told Benzinga. “This has, understandably, cast a cloud over not only our company but the entire industry.” But it turned out there was a huge problem with the piece: the interview apparently never actually took place and was entirely made up. In fact, according to a retraction posted by Benzinga just over a week after the original interview was published, “the information included was fabricated by external sources.” And, in a futuristic twist, the real Milam Jr. is accusing the fake interview of being AI-generated. “That’s not a real interview,” the real Milam Jr. wrote in a November 13 tweet, the day after the original interview was posted. “Not one word is mine,” he wrote in a followup. “That’s why I’ve always done my own quotes or interviews in my own voice. That ain’t me at all!” Journalist Grant Smith Ellis dug a little deeper following Milam Jr.’s surprising comments. “Some of these answers are laughable and…Benzinga Retracts "Interview" With Rapper That Was Allegedly AI-Generated