Australian influencer Lily Jay Hinson has responded to allegations that she used artificial intelligence to create fake images and videos for her charity work. Hinson, 31, who has drawn comparisons to disgraced Australian nutritionist Belle Gibson, dismissed the claims as "evil propaganda" and vowed to continue her efforts.
"You guys really believe all this propaganda online about me? No, no, no, no. This won't stop me. I'm going to get even louder," Hinson stated in an Instagram post. She indicated that her team had advised against responding due to the perceived absurdity of the accusations but felt compelled to address the situation as it had escalated.
Hinson announced plans to release a video detailing her side of the story and to go live with her team to demonstrate the authenticity of their aid work. She also called for apologies from those she believes have spread misinformation and slandered her online. "Some of you guys have honestly got this completely twisted. This is only going to make me speak up louder," she added.
The Lily Jay Foundation, Hinson's charity, issued a statement acknowledging the use of AI in a limited number of social media marketing materials. According to the foundation, AI-generated introductory clips, typically only a few seconds long, were incorporated into marketing content before transitioning to genuine footage. They emphasized that these clips represented a small fraction of their shared content and were never used to depict or fabricate aid delivered on the ground.
An investigation by ABC News Verify last weekend reportedly suggested that Hinson had used AI to generate and enhance videos to falsely represent her foundation's activities in developing nations. One video, shared in February, showed children in Uganda wearing T-shirts with the Lily Jay Foundation logo. ABC claimed that Hinson's appearance in this video, as well as the children holding lollipops, were AI-generated. Further scrutiny of the video indicated inconsistencies, such as a banner logo appearing and disappearing and a misspelling on the back of a T-shirt.
Other videos on Hinson's account were also flagged for containing AI-generated imagery. One clip featured Hinson in front of a truck supposedly delivering supplies to Gaza, but analysis suggested the foundation's logo on the truck glitched over her arm. In May, a press release from PR company Real Media Group announced Hinson had won an award for Humanitarian Leadership, accompanied by images that ABC claimed contained ChatGPT SynthID watermarks, indicating they were AI-generated. Real Media Group's website reportedly listed Hinson as a co-founder, though the site has since been taken down.