'MAGA is dumb': Indian man scams Republicans with AI model makes thousands of dollars

A 22-year-old aspiring orthopaedic surgeon from India said he received some financial help from his parents, but most of it went towards exam fees and medical licensing costs. With plans to eventually move to the United States after graduation, he began looking for ways to earn extra money online.The man used the pseudonym Sam to protect his identity and future immigration prospects. He experimented with several online income streams, including making YouTube Shorts and selling study materials to other medical students. None of them made much money.He then shifted to creating an AI-generated influencer on Instagram using Google’s Gemini and image tools, he said in an interview with the Wired magazine.

At first, he posted generic images of a “hot girl”, but said the content failed to gain traction. According to Sam, he asked Gemini for advice and was told that competing in the general influencer-dominated space was difficult, and that niche audiences performed better.

AI suggested that targeting MAGA men is easier

He said the system suggested targeting a “MAGA/conservative niche”, calling it a “cheat code”, and claimed it also said that such audiences are more active on social media and spend more money.

Google has denied this, saying the model is designed to give neutral responses.Following this, Sam created an AI model named Emily Hart, a supposed American nurse with a typical conservative lifestyle and interests such as religion, firearms, and country living. The character’s posts revolved around pro-Christian, pro-gun, anti-woke and anti-immigration messaging, which he said helped the account grow quickly.

It was inspired by American actresses Jennifer Lawrence and Sydney Sweeney.He posted content daily that was designed to attract engagement, including slogans and political statements that the American conservative culture would find appealing. The strategy turned the account into a viral success within weeks.Sam claimed the Instagram account rapidly gained thousands of followers and millions of views on some videos. He later monetised the traffic through subscription platforms and merchandise sales, earning a few thousand dollars a month. Instagram initially failed to label the content as AI-generated, allowing it to expand more before the account was eventually removed for “fraudulent” activity.