Indian Medical Student's AI MAGA Influencer Scam Earned Thousands Monthly
A 22-year-old medical student from northern India, identified only as Sam, has revealed how he created an AI-generated conservative influencer to target MAGA supporters, claiming the audience was easy to fool and earning thousands of dollars each month. According to a report by Wired, Sam launched social media accounts featuring Emily Hart, a photorealistic AI woman, to generate extra cash while studying.
"Super Dumb" MAGA Crowd Targeted
Sam told Wired that he started posting about Emily Hart on Instagram and Facebook, focusing on pro-MAGA content. He estimated making thousands every month from the venture. "The MAGA crowd is made up of dumb people—like, super dumb people. And they fall for it," he said in the interview. The accounts, which have since been taken down, shared posts on topics like immigration and abortion, with one reviewed by the New York Post stating, "Trump should tell all the illegals that he will give them citizenship if they vote Republican and see how fast Democrats want them out of the country."
Another post read, "If you want a reason to unfollow: Christ is king, abortion is murder, and all illegals must be deported." The Instagram page for Emily Hart was banned in February after being cited for fraudulent activity, and the Facebook page also appears to have been removed. Meta, which operates both platforms, stated in February that it works to identify and label AI-generated content to promote transparency, applying penalties for non-disclosure.
AI Platform Suggested Conservative Niche
Sam explained that he came up with the idea after planning to create and sell AI-generated images of a woman in a bikini. He used Google's Gemini AI platform for guidance. According to a transcript reviewed by Wired, Gemini advised Sam that creating a generic "hot girl" would mean competing with millions of other models. Instead, it suggested targeting the "MAGA/conservative niche," noting that the conservative audience, especially older men in the US, often has higher disposable income and is more loyal.
A Google spokesperson told The Independent that Gemini is designed to answer requests without conveying particular beliefs and should provide a range of viewpoints if asked for opinions. In this case, the spokesperson said Gemini responded appropriately to a query about reaching an audience with specific political beliefs.
Monetization and Lack of Regret
In addition to the social media accounts, Sam sold MAGA apparel and subscriptions to a page he created for Emily Hart on Fanvue, a platform described as an "AI monetization platform" and competitor to OnlyFans. Sam told Wired he does not regret creating Emily Hart and does not feel he was scamming people. "I was spending maybe 30 to 50 minutes of my day, and I was making good money for a medical student," he said. "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."
The case highlights growing concerns about AI-generated content on social media and its potential for exploitation. As platforms like Meta implement stricter policies, incidents like this underscore the challenges in policing deceptive digital personas that can easily manipulate targeted audiences for financial gain.
