The self-described “Bush Legend” on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram is growing in popularity.

These short and sharp videos feature an Aboriginal man – sometimes painted up in ochre, other times in an all khaki outfit – as he introduces different native animals and facts about them. These videos are paired with miscellaneous yidaki (didgeridoo) tunes, including techno mixes.

Comments on the videos often mention his bubbly persona, with some comments saying he needs his own TV show.

But the Bush Legend isn’t real. He is generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

This is a part of a growing influx of AI being utilised to represent Indigenous peoples, knowledges and cultures with no community accountability or relationships with Indigenous peoples. It forms a new type of cultural appropriation, one that Indigenous peoples are increasingly concerned about.

In the user description, the Bush Legend pages say the visuals are AI. But does the average user scrolling through videos on their social media click onto a profile to read these details?

Some of the videos do feature AI watermarks, or mention they are AI in the caption. But many in the audience will be completely unaware this person is not real, and the entire video is artificially generated.

These videos “bait” the audience in through a spectrum of cute and cuddly to extremely dangerous creatures. Comments left on the videos query how close the man is to the animals, alongside their words of encouragement.

One commenter on Facebook writes “You have the same wonderful energy Steve Irwin had and your voice is great to listen to.”

The voice and energy they are referring to is fabricated.

With any Indigenous content on the internet (authentic........

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