Australian influencer and Muslim convert Lily Jay Hinson, 31, who has around 3 million Instagram followers, allegedly used AI-generated and digitally manipulated videos to promote charity projects that investigators could not independently verify.
Hinson, a former burlesque dancer who now appears online in a hijab and speaks about Islam and philanthropy, claimed through the Lily Jay Foundation that she had opened an orphanage in Uganda and a bakery in Gaza.
But an investigation by ABC News Verify found apparent signs of AI manipulation in promotional footage. In one video announcing the Ugandan orphanage, the foundation’s sign reportedly disappears, while children’s fingers appear distorted. In footage said to be from Gaza, a foundation banner appears digitally added and unnaturally overlaps Hinson’s arm.
Investigators said they could find no Ugandan registration for the orphanage, despite registration being legally required, and no local officials or aid workers they contacted had heard of it. They also could not geolocate the alleged Gaza bakery or find independent evidence that it existed.
The foundation also posted images of Hinson supposedly receiving a “2026 Austral-Global Excellence Award for Humanitarian Leadership.” According to the investigation, the award was fabricated using ChatGPT, carried an AI watermark, and does not exist.
The Lily Jay Foundation denied fabricating its humanitarian work, saying AI was used only in a “very limited number” of short introductory marketing clips before genuine footage. It said it does not disclose precise locations for security reasons and insists that its projects are real.
Despite the organization carrying her name, Hinson is reportedly absent from its corporate records. Those records instead list Christine Hinson, James Bracher, and Sayed Mohsin as directors. ABC also reported that Hinson’s personal Instagram account is managed from Cyprus, while the foundation’s account operates from Kosovo.
The foundation is not registered as a charity and says it operates through a corporate structure for efficiency, while considering a transition to a formal charity model.
