From virtual models to fashionista robots and animated humans, AI-generated influencers are taking platforms like Instagram, X, Facebook and TikTok by storm, with hundreds of thousands of followers.
AI influencers are not new, but big brands are increasingly turning to these digital trendsetters to market their products.It’s a cost-effective marketing strategy, says Mai Nguyen, director of Insight Lab at Griffith University, Australia. Companies are willing to give more money to influencers, with the influencer market expected to grow by roughly 30 per cent to an estimated $28.9 billion this year, according to aThat report also showed that more than 60 per cent of agencies and brands said they plan to use AI or machine learning this year to identify influencers or “create effective campaigns.”
“Canadians are beginning to identify and understand the risks of AI-generated misinformation,” CJF board chair Kathy English said in a statement with the survey release. “There’s this intensification of content that is so-called perfected…. These images are blemish-free, their hair looks perfect, their body shape is unattainable, impossibly thin,” she said.