<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Jarren has been hailed the "Indigenous Steve Irwin", but the problem is he is not a real person - it is AI.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Bush Legend Official has more than 200,000 followers across Instagram, Facebook and TikTok and posts daily videos of Jarren dressed in khaki clothing or in traditional paint with the red dirt beneath him.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He gets up close with a wide range of animals, from crocodiles and snakes to birds and lizards and tells social media users about native wildlife.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/jeanswest-ai-advertising-social-media-expert-reactions/a5a1d68d-45ee-44bb-bc77-38a59ccc0c29" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Legacy Aussie retailer lashed over this image: 'Garbage'</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But the account is believed to be run by a content creator based in New Zealand.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This page uses AI-generated visuals to share wildlife stories for education and awareness," the account's description reads.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The focus is on animals and nature only."</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/jarren-shares-wildlife-content-online-hes-been-called-out-for-ai-blackface/e0cb8411-bc9a-4ab5-870d-431aaacf3e3d" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The account asks users to subscribe by paying $2.99 per month to "spend more time doing this full time, researching, and bringing these Aussie animal stories to life".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Users have raised issues with the account depicting an Indigenous man and some have labelled it "AI blackface".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Terri Janke, the director of Indigenous law firm Terri Janke and Company, said the page has caused cultural harm and gone against Indigenous protocols of who can speak for country.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It's sort of like using an Indigenous facade or person to tell people about nature and animals and species," she told 9news.com.au.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/social-media-ban-australia-under-16-47-million-accounts-wiped-first-week/1727af56-a682-4869-a72c-eecaf34edeb5" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Almost 5 million Aussie social media accounts wiped in a single week</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They have sort of taken identity, taken those attributes, like from what a person looks like, how they might talk, how they should paint, their connection to land and country, and used it for their own means.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"How do we as First Nations people have a voice when people think it's really okay to just make up someone in that respect?" </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Bush Heritage Australia's National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement Manager, Tiahni Adamson, said it was essential to have real First Nations voices at the forefront of wildlife and conservation discussions.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"For decades, the conservation sector has been investing in Indigenous ranger programs and building genuine two‑way knowledge systems," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/anthony-albanese-new-poll-shows-plummeting-support/c27d01a5-58ac-46f9-9baa-a74e1454527f" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Poll delivers fresh blow to embattled Albanese</span></strong></a><strong></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>"</span></strong><span>But we're still fighting for our voices to be heard and for a meaningful seat at the table where land management and conservation decisions are made."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Adamson added that any misinformation about native wildlife and land management online can be "incredibly harmful" to how people act and think in real-world scenarios.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It can make animals seem more dangerous than they are – or not dangerous enough – and that distorts people's connection to wildlife and the natural world," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Getting those stories right really matters.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"That's why it's essential that the information being shared is science‑backed, culturally appropriate and shared with the right cultural authority."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/commonwealth-bank-macquarie-bank-raise-fixed-home-loan-rates/63c359b4-4801-48ec-b9e0-b4cbeccc623c" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Unwelcome sign nasty interest rate shock is on the way</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Janke called for more legal guardrails to prevent deepfakes from being created and urged people to report harmful content online.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"People who are creating this content need to consider things you know, anything from copyright to defamation and here to Indigenous cultural and intellectual property and cultural respect," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I think it's an interesting thing for lawmakers, the policy makers, but it's also for people to just look more deeply at the content that's been put to them and look for authenticity."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>9news.com.au has contacted Meta for comment.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>We have also attempted to contact the content creator but his social media pages do not accept messages.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple App Store</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>.</span></em></strong><span></span></div></div>