AI-made fake influencers use conservative posts to build audiences

In short: AI-generated “influencers” are attracting large conservative audiences on major social platforms, mostly as a way to make money.

What's going on

Some social media accounts that look like real people are actually made with AI. They post videos and photos on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. The content is often framed as patriotic and strongly pro-Trump.

One widely shared example is “Jessica Foster,” a glamorous “patriot” sometimes shown in a military uniform and pictured with political symbols and public figures. The images can look very realistic at first glance. But there are also telltale mistakes, like odd-looking hands, incorrect uniform details, and slogans that change from post to post.

According to reporting, many followers, often conservative men, interacted with the account as if it were a real person. Later, the account was linked to an AI-made persona that pushed viewers to OnlyFans, a paid subscription site, for adult content, including foot fetish posts. The reporting described earnings of about $300 per post.

A key point is motivation. In this case, the main goal described was monetization, not a proven attempt to target voters or change election outcomes. Some commentators worry that similar techniques could be used for political influence by governments or campaigns, but that is speculation and not confirmed in this specific example.

What to watch

As elections approach, concerns are growing about AI-generated media used to mislead people, sometimes called deepfakes (fake videos or audio that look and sound real). Viewers can look for platform labels about manipulated media, which some states require in political contexts, and they can double-check claims with multiple trusted sources. The harder part is that AI content is getting better, so obvious visual glitches are less reliable than they used to be.

Source: NYTimes