Have you heard of Jessica Foster? This young woman enlisted in the American army is a pro-Trump influencer who is a hit with conservative Americans who follow the MAGA line. In three months on Instagram, she has already accumulated more than a million followers – a good number of them bots, no doubt, but not only that.
We discover her in uniform, posing alongside Donald Trump, frolicking with her comrades, or posing (often barefoot) in American army offices. Problem: none of this is true.
Jessica, like all her photos, is a creation of artificial intelligence. His goal? Seduce conservative activists into an OnlyFans account so they can spend money in exchange for a few scantily clad photos of her (also totally bogus).
Mass manipulation
However, clues are present for those who are looking for them. Veterans and attentive Internet users quickly spotted the inconsistencies in this account and in particular the name tag on her fatigues only indicates “JESSICA” instead of her last name, but no matter: Jessica fulfills a role that speaks to Trumpist America today.
Journalist Kat Tenbarge, from the Courier YouTube channel, explains that this profile “softens, glamorizes and sexualizes the vision of the American military”. By using the codes of patriotism to sell erotic content, the operator behind Jessica Foster has carried out a double heist: on the one hand he hijacks national symbols, on the other he exploits the solitude of thousands of men ready to pay for the illusion of an interaction with a woman. At the same time, it contributes to reducing women – whether they are soldiers or not – to an object of desire.
On OnlyFans, the moderation rules are clear: each account must be linked to a human being. On Instagram, Meta normally requires that AI-generated content be tagged as such. Yet Jessica thrived without any worries, proving that moderation filters are one step behind image generators that are increasingly faithful to reality.
Even after being exposed to the deception, a large number of subscribers continue to follow, comment and like the artificial influencer’s content. Conservative commentator Ara Rubyan summarizes: “The most dangerous thing about Jessica Foster isn’t that she’s fake; that’s how much a million people needed it to be real.” Confirming that we live in the post-truth era, where we do not seek information, but validation of our own beliefs.
