An ABC News Verify investigation has accused Australian influencer Lily Jay Hinson, 31, of using artificial intelligence to fabricate charitable work for her organization, the Lily Jay Foundation. Hinson has been likened to Belle Gibson 2.0, another Australian figure who faced similar accusations.
The investigation centered on a February video where Hinson claimed to have opened an orphanage in Uganda. The clip featured children wearing shirts with the Lily Jay Foundation logo, cheering and holding lollipops. However, ABC News reported that Hinson's appearance in the video, as well as the children with lollipops, were AI-generated. Further scrutiny revealed that the foundation's logo on a banner behind Hinson appeared to vanish at points, and a shirt with the logo seemed to have a misspelled foundation name.
This video has since been removed from Hinson's social media. Other videos on her account also appear to contain AI-generated imagery. One clip, purportedly showing a truck with supplies heading to Gaza, featured a logo that seemed to clip over Hinson's arm despite the truck being stationary behind her.
In May, a press release from PR company Real Media Group announced Hinson had received the Austral-Global Excellence Award for Humanitarian Leadership, accompanied by images of her receiving the award. Analysis of these photos, according to ABC News, revealed they contained ChatGPT SynthID watermarks, indicating they were AI-generated. The website for Real Media Group, which posted the release, listed Hinson as its co-founder. This website has since been shut down.
Hinson's past reveals a history of evolving online personas. Initially active in the dance scene on the Sunshine Coast in the early 2010s, she later moved to the Gold Coast, where she began showcasing a lavish lifestyle. Her social media posts from this period included images with luxury cars, designer clothing, and travels to destinations such as Turkey, Dubai, Thailand, Greece, and Italy. She also documented trips to Malaysia, Hawaii, Switzerland, and Tuscany. Around 2016, she was seen in the U.S. driving a red Ferrari.
After a period in Australia, she traveled internationally again, including to Hong Kong and Singapore. She also attempted a music career, releasing a debut single and music video titled 'Renovate' in 2017. Later, she reportedly settled in Thailand around 2023, disappearing from social media for approximately a year. She returned in July 2024, posting from Turkey and confirming her previous two-year residency in Thailand.
In August 2024, Hinson shifted her content focus from lifestyle posts to videos posing questions about religion to her followers. Having previously mentioned converting to Islam, she began to style herself as a Muslim influencer, critiquing atheism and comparing Islamic and Christian beliefs.
In September, she launched an Instagram account for the Lily Jay Foundation, posting videos depicting charitable acts across Africa and the Middle East. The foundation now has nearly 3 million followers across her personal and business accounts. Online claims suggest Hinson worked as a dancer, potentially at the Moulin Rouge in Paris and Palazzo Manheim in Germany, and participated in 'So You Think You Can Dance Australia,' though her IMDb profile indicates she did not advance past auditions on the show, and verifiable information about a Moulin Rouge stint is absent.