An Australian burlesque dancer-turned-Muslim-influencer who runs a massively popular Instagram page about her faith and philanthropy used AI to create fake videos of her supposed charity work in needy communities overseas, according to a probe.
Blond-haired, blue-eyed Lily Jay, 31, traded her tap shoes for a hijab and started an Instagram page waxing poetic about her conversion to Islam and the power of giving as she solicited donations from her 3 million followers for various charitable causes.
The influencer, whose real name is Lily Jay Hinson, claimed to have opened an orphanage in Uganda and a bakery in Gaza through the “Lily Jay Foundation,” but videos she posted of her humanitarian efforts in each location were created using AI and no evidence of either the orphanage or bakery exists, according to an investigation by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s News Verify.
In a clip promoting the opening of the foundation’s orphanage in Uganda, African children waving lollipops and cheering surround Hinson, who cheerfully tells the camera: “Alhamdullilah! The orphanage is now open!”
But the “Lily Jay Foundation” sign on the orphanage building disappears at one point in the video and the children’s fingers are distorted at another point, suggesting the use of AI, the ABC investigation found.
In a clip reportedly taken in Gaza, the “Lily Jay Foundation” banner was added in and its corner unnaturally cuts out over her arm, suggesting digital superimposition, the outlet found.
The foundation claims it founded a bakery in the war-torn enclave to supply much-needed food.
ABC wasn’t able to find a registration for the orphanage in Uganda — which is required by law — or any independent proof that it exists and no government or aid workers in Uganda had heard of it.
The outlet found the same thing to be true of the Gazan bakery. Its reporters couldn’t geolocate it or find any evidence that it was real.
In another post, the foundation shared photos of Hinson receiving the “2026 Austral-Global Excellence Award for Humanitarian Leadership,” but they were completely fabricated by ChatGPT, bearing its specialized watermark, ABC found. The award doesn’t exist.
The Lily Jay Foundation defended its practices, asserting that AI was used for a “very limited number” of marketing materials as “opening hooks” and not to fabricate aid delivery in a statement to The Post.
“During the creation of a very limited number of social media marketing materials, members of our marketing team incorporated a small number of AI-generated introductory clips featuring Lily Jay,” reads the statement.
“These brief introductory sequences, typically lasting only a few seconds, were used solely as opening hooks before transitioning to genuine footage of our humanitarian work.”
The sketchy organization stated it operates under a corporate structure and is not a registered charity for efficiency purposes, but is interested in transitioning to a charity model.
The foundation also claimed it does not disclose precise GPS coordinates for the safety of its teams in conflict-affected regions, though it maintains that all projects are genuine and verified for individual supporters.
Hinson was previously known as a burlesque dancer known for the single “Renovate” before pivoting to philanthropy.
Despite her public role, she is absent from the foundation’s corporate records.
Filings instead list Christine Hinson, James Bracher, and Sayed Mohsin as directors, with data indicating her personal Instagram account is managed from Cyprus while the foundation’s account operates from Kosovo, according to ABC.
While Hinson maintains her focus is on the “resilience of families in Gaza,” organizations like the Red Crescent have warned that unverified humanitarian claims risk misdirecting vital resources.
The Lily Jay Foundation, through its official website and social media, continues to promote its mission.
