The Emily Hart Saga, Part 2: The AI Thirst Trap Grift

Podcast: Close All Tabs (LS 44 · TOP 1% what is this?)Episode: The Emily Hart Saga, Part 2: The AI Thirst Trap GriftPub date: 2026-08-19Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationEmily Hart, the bikini-wearing right-wing AI influencer, had captured the hearts, minds and more of MAGA men online. But her creator, Sam, had grown sick of the creepy messages and unsolicited explicit photos he’d received from Emily’s adoring fans. And he was about to be outed as a “scammer.” In this follow-up to last week’s episode, we dig into the downfall of the MAGA dream girl, the explosion of AI “thirst” grifts and why Sam says he shouldn’t be labeled as a “scammer” at all. Guests: Ej Dickson, senior culture writer at Wired “Sam,” creator of AI MAGA Influencer Emily Hart Further Reading/Listening: This Scammer Used an AI-Generated MAGA Girl to Grift ‘Super Dumb’ Men — Ej Dickson, Wired  Goose, a New Gay Dating App, Appears to Be a Psyop — Ej Dickson, Wired How India's Cyber Scam Industry Causes Global Havoc — Hanan Zaffar, Inkstick Inside the Booming ‘AI Pimping’ Industry — Jason Koebler and Emanuel Maiberg, Wired Delays in Visa Program Threaten Placement of Hundreds of Doctors in Underserved Areas — Arielle Zionts, KFF Health News  White House Wants More Doctors But Its Immigration Policies Block Them — Stuart Anderson, Forbes Foreign medical residents fill critical positions at U.S. hospitals, but many now face visa issues — Adithi Ramakrishnan and Devi Shastri, PBS News Indians lead UK exit wave as Britain's migration crackdown begins to bite | Immigration News — Sunainaa Chadha, Business Standard Read the Transcript here Email us at [email protected] Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTok⁠ Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Our intern is Lauren Yoon and also was the associate producer on this episode. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesThe podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from KQED, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.