A 22-year-old aspiring orthopedic surgeon from India said he gets some financial help from his parents, but most of it goes toward paying exam fees and medical license fees. With plans to eventually move to the United States after graduation, he began looking for ways to make extra money online.The man used the pseudonym Sam to protect his identity and future immigration prospects. He experimented with various online income streams, including creating YouTube Shorts and selling study materials to other medical students. None of them made much money.He told Wired in an interview that he then turned to using Google’s Gemini and image tools to create AI-generated influencers on Instagram. Initially, he posted generic images of “hot girls,” but said the content failed to gain traction. According to Sam, he reached out to Gemini for advice and was told it was difficult to compete in a space dominated by general influencers and that niche audiences performed better.
AI shows it’s easier to target MAGA men
He said the system suggested targeting the “MAGA/conservative niche,” calling it a “cheat code,” and claimed the system also indicated such audiences were more active on social media and spent more money. Google denied this, saying the model was designed to give neutral responses.Sam then created an artificial intelligence model named Emily Hart, an American nurse with a typical conservative lifestyle whose interests include religion, guns, and country life. The character’s posts revolved around pro-Christian, pro-gun, anti-woke and anti-immigrant messages, which he said helped the account grow rapidly. It was inspired by American actresses Jennifer Lawrence and Sidney Sweeney.He posts daily content designed to attract engagement, including slogans and political statements that conservative American culture finds attractive. This strategy made the account a viral success within weeks.Sam claims the Instagram account quickly gained thousands of followers, with some videos racking up millions of views. Later, he monetized the traffic through subscription platforms and merchandise sales, earning thousands of dollars a month. Instagram initially failed to flag the content as AI-generated, allowing it to expand, and the account was eventually removed for “fraudulent” activity.