For thousands of conservative men scrolling Instagram in early 2026, Emily Hart seemed like the real thing. A pro-Trump nurse in her twenties who loved rifles, cold beer and Bible verses looked a bit like Jennifer Lawrence and posted red-meat political content that flew around MAGA circles like wildfire. Her reels pulled millions of views. Her follower count climbed past 10,000 within weeks.

But there's a twist. Emily Hart does not exist.

The account, "Emily Hart," was created by a 22-year-old orthopaedic surgery trainee in northern India, identified only as Sam, who told WIRED he built the persona using AI tools to fund his medical education.

Sam said he initially tried other online ventures first, such as YouTube videos selling study notes. None worked. Then he turned to Google's Gemini chatbot for advice on monetising AI-generated images of women.

The chatbot's suggestion was specific. A generic attractive woman would get lost in a crowded market. But targeting conservative Americans would be different. According to Sam, Gemini described the MAGA niche as a 'cheat code,' noting that older conservative men tend to have higher disposable income and stronger loyalty to creators.

A Google spokesperson disputed the characterisation, tellingThe Daily Beastthat Gemini is designed to respond to requests without conveying particular beliefs and simply answered a question about reaching a specific political audience.

For@WIRED, I spoke to a med student in India who made thousands of dollars duping MAGA fans by creating a blonde AI influencer named "Emily Hart." Here's how he did it.pic.twitter.com/oaCdDekIho

Armed with that blueprint, Sam crafted Emily Hart's entire identity. She was 22, worked as a nurse, and spent her spare time ice fishing and firing weapons at the range. Her captions hit every culture war flashpoint.

'Every day I'd write somethingpro-Christian, pro-Second Amendment, pro-life, anti-abortion, anti-woke, and anti-immigration,' he told WIRED.

The strategy was built around what Sam called rage bait. Polarising captions drew furious engagement from critics and enthusiastic support from fans alike, and the algorithm rewarded both. Sam claimed individual reels were pulling three million, five million, even ten million views.

Source: International Business Times UK