AI-generated charity videos raise questions over donor trust

An organisation linked to Australian influencer Lily Jay has admitted using AI-generated clips in some of its social media content after an investigation raised questions about videos promoting its overseas aid work.

The Lily Jay Foundation said the AI material appeared only in a small number of introductory clips and was used to attract viewers before genuine footage was shown.

It denied using artificial intelligence to fabricate humanitarian projects or aid deliveries.

The statement followed an investigation by ABC News Verify, which found examples of apparently generated or digitally altered material in videos connected to the foundation.

The investigation included a video announcing the opening of an orphanage in Uganda. ABC reported that the woman presenting the opening was not Lily Jay, but an AI-generated version of her.

Some of the children and background elements in the same video also appeared to have been generated.

Other content appeared to combine real footage with altered branding. In one video, a Lily Jay Foundation sign placed on a vehicle appeared to move over a person’s arm, suggesting it had been digitally added.

Aid projects could not be independently verified

The foundation has promoted humanitarian projects in countries including Uganda, Nepal and Sudan, as well as Gaza.

ABC said it could not independently verify the existence of an orphanage in Uganda promoted under the name Ada Nur.

The Ugandan Registration Services Bureau initially found no orphanage registered under that name or under the Lily Jay Foundation.

A company with a similar name was registered several days after questions were sent to the organisation, although ABC said it was unclear whether the registration was connected to the foundation.

Questions have also been raised over a bakery the organisation says it operates in Gaza.

ABC reported that it was unable to geolocate the bakery or find independent evidence confirming its existence. Humanitarian workers contacted by the broadcaster said they had not heard of the foundation or the bakery.

The lack of independent verification does not prove that the projects do not exist, but it leaves important questions unanswered.

Foundation says its aid work is genuine

In a statement published after the investigation, the foundation said it was a genuine humanitarian organisation working through local partners.

It acknowledged that members of its marketing team had used a limited number of AI-generated clips featuring Lily Jay.

The organisation said the clips were short introductions used before genuine footage and represented only a small part of the content it had published.

It also said it would improve transparency by releasing raw, unedited footage and arranging livestreams from some project locations where it was safe to do so.

The foundation added that Lily Jay acts as a global ambassador and is not a director or shareholder in the companies behind the organisation.

Its response was reported by 5Pillars.

Not a registered charity

Despite its name and the nature of its work, the Lily Jay Foundation is not currently a registered charity.

The organisation has described itself as a private commercial structure funded through voluntary project sponsorships.

It said this structure allowed it to work quickly and independently, and that it was considering moving towards registered charitable status.

That distinction may not always be obvious to followers who see emotional fundraising content, references to humanitarian projects and the word “foundation”.

Registered charities are normally expected to meet formal requirements around governance, financial reporting and the use of donated funds.

ABC said it was unclear how much money the Lily Jay Foundation had received or how the funds had been spent.

Why AI disclosure matters

The use of AI in charity marketing presents a wider problem for fundraisers.

Charities routinely use edited videos, staged photographs, voiceovers and stock images. AI introduces a new level of uncertainty because it can create people, locations and events that never existed.

An AI-generated opening clip might be dismissed as a marketing device, but the distinction becomes harder to defend when it is placed alongside claims about real children, aid projects or work in conflict zones.

Viewers may reasonably assume that the people and places shown in a fundraising video are authentic unless told otherwise.

Clear labelling is therefore important, particularly when organisations are asking the public for money.

The controversy also shows why donors should look beyond follower numbers and emotional social media content before giving.

They should check whether an organisation is registered, who is responsible for it, whether it publishes financial information and whether its projects can be independently verified.

The foundation has promised greater transparency. Publishing raw footage, naming delivery partners and providing clearer information about income and spending would give donors a better chance to judge its claims for themselves.

For the wider charity sector, the lesson is simple. AI may be useful for producing content, but using it without clear disclosure risks damaging the trust on which fundraising depends.