‘Emily Hart’ wasn’t real: Broke South Asian student cashed in on ‘dumb’ MAGA supporters to fund his US entry

Can a few AI-generated posts turn into real money? One anonymous creator appears to have milked and minted a political sentiment by building a viral influencer that never actually existed. A report by WIRED revealed that a MAGA-themed social media influencer who gained millions of views was not real. The bikini-clad persona, known online as “Emily Hart,” was allegedly created by an Indian medical student using artificial intelligence.

The creator, identified as “Sam,” a 22-year-old orthopedic surgeon in training, said he began experimenting while struggling financially in medical school and planning to move to the United States. He told WIRED that he decided to generate a “hot girl” designed specifically for the conservative audience.

Sam said he turned to Google Gemini for guidance. The chatbot suggested targeting a conservative audience, which he said had higher engagement and loyalty. He then created the persona Emily Hart, described as a nurse with looks similar to Jennifer Lawrence, and began posting patriotic and provocative content.


According to the report, the posts included political messaging and lifestyle imagery such as ice fishing, firearms, and outdoor activities. The account quickly gained traction, reaching 10,000 followers within a month, with reels generating millions of views.

Once the account grew, Sam said he began selling merchandise and launching subscription content. He created paid content on Fanvue, which allows AI-generated material, and sold MAGA-themed T-shirts.

The ‘broke’ student said to the outlet that he was searching for ways to earn extra money while in medical school, as he needed funds to cover licensing exam costs and save for a future move to the United States. “I was spending maybe 30 to 50 minutes of my day, and I was making good money for a medical student,” he recalled, adding that the idea came while he was “scrounging for money in school” and trying to build savings to emigrate after graduation.

He also admitted: “Every day I’d write something pro-Christian, pro-Second Amendment, pro-life, anti-abortion, anti-woke, and anti-immigration.”

Despite benefiting financially, Sam made controversial comments about his audience. He said, "The MAGA crowd is made up of dumb people—like, super dumb people. And they fall for it.” He also claimed that attempts to create a liberal counterpart failed due to lower engagement, adding that “Democrats know that it’s AI slop, so they don’t engage as much.”

The Emily Hart persona operated on Instagram under the handle emily_hart.nurse, as per the outlet. However, the account was banned in February after being flagged for “fraudulent” activity. A related Facebook page mentioned in the article was also later removed.