AI Influencer: the new content marketing paradigm.

The latest revelation to make noise concerns Emily Pellegrini, with over 160,000 followers on Instagram, whose existence - according to the Daily Mail - is powered by artificial intelligence. But this is not an isolated case.

Aitana Lopez, with over 250 thousand followers, was also generated by AI from the agency The Clueless, as reported by the Financial Times.
Of course, put like that, it sounds like an entire category is at risk of extinction. So, between the folds of this dystopian vision, we tried to shed some light.

The 'virtual influencer' is not a recent phenomenon. As early as 1996, the first virtual pop star appeared in Japan. Taking advantage of various technologies, from computer graphics to artificial intelligence, these figures have become more and more realistic and engaging over time.

Miquela Sousa, created in 2016 by a Los Angeles-based company specialising in robotics and AI, now has 2.6 million followers on Instagram and has collaborated with renowned fashion companies.

In the same field, an interesting case is that of H&M. According to Meta, the notoriety of a promotional campaign was significantly amplified through the use of a virtual influencer, while simultaneously reducing the cost per reach by 91%.

The emergence of 'virtual influencers' has thrown even human influencers into uncertainty, concerned about the inevitable impact of artificial intelligence on their field. However, the creators of these figures argue that they are simply revolutionising a saturated market characterised by the often exorbitant fees demanded by human influencers, prompting various realities to create their own virtual influencers.

Despite the enthusiasm, some criticism arises: human influencers want their virtual alter egos to be forced to declare their non-authenticity. Danae Mercer, a human content creator with over 2 million followers, expressed frustration at the difficulty in distinguishing the authenticity of virtual influencers. Furthermore, the unattainable aesthetic standard imposed by some 'virtual influencers' have raised questions about fairness and inclusiveness in the digital world.

On this, platforms are recently intervening, with the obligation for users to report the use of AI in the generation of content. However, there is no explicit reference to virtual influencers.

In short, the world of influencers is in turmoil with the advent of these new digital entities. However, several factors should be considered before becoming overly alarmed.

While it is true that digital influencers, on a theoretical level, are comparable in function to real ones, in everyday life, target audiences might still prefer human ones precisely because of the correspondence they can have in the real world and thus maintain a greater perception of authenticity. 

Moreover, even real influencers could improve their content precisely by studying those generated with AI and performing better, using them as an additional testing tool, in a condition of 'coexistence'.

Certainly, the impact of AI will bring changes, and as in all sectors, it will be up to the skill of professionals to take advantage of it. But, at least in the immediate future, it will be difficult to witness a radical change.