A medical student from India scammed MAGA supporters by creating a fake Instagram account of an AI-generated right-wing influencer. [Image for representative purpose]
'Super Dumb People': How MAGA Supporters Were Scammed by a Fake AI Influencer
A new MAGA influencer recently gained popularity on social media platforms before their account was taken down.
The reason? The person behind the account was not real, but an AI-generated model.
A medical student from northern India created an Instagram account for a fake conservative, right-wing persona named Emily Hart. In the account that has since been removed, one could see Hart go ice fishing, shoot at a rifle range and drink straight from Coors Light cans.
'The Algorithm Loved It'
A 22-year-old medical student from northern India created the fake persona using artificial intelligence to earn some quick money.
The student spoke to Wired about the decision to create the account for a scantily-clad AI model who would fit into the "MAGA/ conservative niche."
One of Hart's captions read, "If you want a reason to unfollow: Christ is king, abortion is murder, and all illegals must be deported."
Another caption said, "POV: You were assigned intelligent at birth, but you identify as liberal."
According to the student, who used the pseudonym 'Sam,' he had initially tried to create a "generic hot girl."
However, since the content did not perform well, he apparently realized that he needed to find a way to make her unique.
X user reflects on the impact of artificial intelligence shaping online narratives.
Sam, who created Hart using Google Gemini's Nano Banana Pro, told the media outlet that he asked the chatbot for suggestions to help the AI model gain visibility on social media platforms.
He said that Gemini then suggested that he could create a MAGA woman as a "cheat code."
The reasoning behind this was that "the conservative audience (especially older men in the U.S.) often has higher disposable income and is more loyal."
"Every day I'd write something pro-Christian, pro-Second Amendment, pro-life, anti-abortion, anti-woke and anti-immigration," Sam told the outlet.
Google Gemini's advice worked, because soon after, the AI account raked in millions of views.
"Every reel I posted was getting three million views, five million views, ten million views. The algorithm loved it," Sam said.
Hart's Instagram account grew to over 10,000 followers in a month. Many of these followers reportedly subscribed to AI-generated softcore content posted on Fanvue, a competitor to OnlyFans.
To add to this, Sam also started selling MAGA-themed T-shirts online. It appears that his scam worked out well, and soon he was earning tens of thousands of dollars a month.
An X post about a fake, AI-generated MAGA influencer named Emily Hart.
"I was spending maybe 30 to 50 minutes of my day, and I was making good money for a medical student. In India, even in professional jobs, you can't make this amount of money. I haven't seen any easier way to make money online," Sam told the outlet.
He then added, "The MAGA crowd is made up of dumb people -- like, super dumb people. And they fall for it."
Instagram has since taken down Hart's account for not being transparent about posting AI-generated media content.