This popular MAGA influencer was AI-made by an Indian student
What's the story
In a shocking revelation, a popular pro-Donald Trump social media account has been unmasked as an artificial intelligence (AI) creation. The account, which went by the name of "Emily Hart," was created by Sam, a 22-year-old medical student from India. He used generative AI tools to create everything from the woman's face and body to her captions.
Beginning
How it started
Sam, who requested a pseudonym to protect his medical career, started this venture while struggling financially during his studies. He initially just wanted to make money online, and used AI tools to create images of a young woman in a bikini. Later, he asked Google's AI Gemini how to make the account successful. The AI suggested targeting conservative audiences, especially older men in the US with higher disposable income and loyalty.
Strategy
Fake influencer's posts and follower count
Sam created a fake influencer to appeal to conservative audiences, posting pro-Christian, pro-Second Amendment, pro-life, anti-woke, anti-abortion, and anti-immigration content. One post showed her holding a gun with the caption: "If you want a reason to unfollow: Christ is king, abortion is murder, and all illegals must be deported." Within a month of starting this strategy on Instagram under the name Emily Hart, Sam had gained over 10,000 followers.
Monetization
Making money from the venture
Sam was able to make a few thousand dollars a month from this venture. He even used X's Grok AI to create more explicit images of his fake influencer, which he uploaded on Fanvue, a platform for exclusive photos and interactions with creators. "I was basically doing nothing. And it was just flooded with money," he said about the success of his scheme.
Demise
Account takedown and other efforts
Hart's Instagram account was taken down this February for fraudulent activity. After the WIRED report exposed the scheme, her Facebook account was also removed. Despite his success with MAGA fans, Sam has been critical of them, calling them "super dumb." He even tried making a liberal counterpart for Hart on Instagram but found that "Democrats know that it's AI slop, so they don't engage as much."