From Pixels to Stardom
AI Influencers have became a new paradigm in the marketing industry. With the challenges and backlashes that came, what is the future for AI Influencers?
The realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology stretches well beyond automation, encompassing a range of transformative innovations. The emergence of AI influencers has introduced a new paradigm within the marketing industry.
Take Lil Miquela for example, a social media sensation boasting 2.7 million followers on Instagram and 3.6 million followers on TikTok. The forever 19-year-old influencer from Los Angeles reportedly charges over USD 10,000 for every Instagram post, now having an 8 figures net worth. Notably, in 2019, Samsung recognized her influence and appointed lil Miquela as one of the faces for its #teamgalaxy campaign. Prior to that, she modeled for Calvin Klein alongside top-tier model Bella Hadid. It’s crazy to consider that Lil Miquela, an entity existing solely within her creator’s imagination, holds the power to exert genuine influence on social media.
Perfect appearances, lavish lifestyle, extravagant fashion, melodic voices, flawless poses. What is not to like about AI influencers? AI Influencers are computer-generated entities that interact with users on social media platforms just like human influencers. They pose unique personalities, appearances, and voices, a product of human’s imagination. This innovative fusion of technology and creativity has paved the way for a distinctive form of content creation and engagement, blurring the lines between reality and virtually.
The Rise of AI Influencers
The concept of AI influencers traces its roots back to the development of AI itself. Early AI experiments primarily focused on mimicking human intelligence. The idea of creating AI personalities to interact with users in a more human-like manner gradually gained mass interest.
Lil Miquela was one of the first notable AI influencers in 2016, created by LA startup Brud. Brud was founded in 2016 by Trevor McFedries and Sara Decou, a duo with a shared vision of leveraging AI and computer graphics to birth lifelike virtual characters. Brud uses a combination of AI, robotics, and computer graphics to create its AI influencers.
Brud expanded Lil Miquela’s horizons by releasing her debut single. “Not Mine” in 2019. This marked the beginning of her journey from an AI influencer to a full-blown superstar, solidifying her presence in the entertainment industry, and Brud stands as both her creator and agency.
Brud’s creative endeavors did not stop with Lil Miquela. Blawko and Bermuda, two other prominent virtual personalities, add depth to the virtual universe Brud has crafted. The cornerstone of Brud’s success lies in their unique approach to creating virtual beings, merging art with tech. And beyond avatars, Brud’s virtual characters possess rich personalities and narratives that resonate with their audience. Through social media posts, interactions, and carefully scripted scenarios, these avatars come to life with their own opinions and emotions. This storytelling aspect enhances the sense of connection users feel with the characters.
In 2022, Indonesian startup Genexyz joined the ranks of creators and developers of meta-human influencers. Having secured seed funding earlier this year, the company introduced its pioneering AI influencer, Laverda Salsabila a.k.a @lav_caca. With an Instagram following exceeding 14K, Laverda has risen to prominence due to her Dangdut music.
Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice?
Unlike what you may think when you heard “AI Influencers”AI influencers are not entirely artificially fabricated from scratch. Crafting a virtual influencer involves a fusion of 3D modeling, animation, and AI technology. Creators take real life photos and videos of an actual individual as a point of reference. They then employ software to construct a digital rendition mirroring their characteristics. The model is then refined and animated to give the model movements and expressions.
Subsequently, AI is used to add realism into the model’s appearance—this includes tasks such as rendering their skin, hair, and eyes in a way that looks realistic. Moreover, AI is used to enhance the model’s movements and expressions, adding them with a heightened sense of naturalness.
Rather than operating as self-sustained entities, these digital personas are bot autonomously dynamic, they are guided by the hands of their human creators. While AI technology fuels their interactions and appearances, the intricate nuances of human creativity and decision-making still shape their actions. Their human creators remain actively engaged in crafting content, harnessing the AI to enhance their creative efforts and deliver captivating narratives.
The New Wave of Marketing
Big brands have recognized the potential of AI-driven personalities to reach and engage audiences in innovative ways. Brands like Calvin Klein, Samsung, Tinder, and Prada have embraced AI influencers alongside human celebrities. Why did brands choose to go with AI influencers? AI influencers may present several advantages that make them worth to choose over human influencers.
1. Cost effective
Unlike human influencers, AI counterparts eliminate the need for expenses associated with traditional influencer campaigns, such as costly photoshoots, accommodation fees, and travel arrangements.
It is also more cost effective to create a virtual avatar than hiring one brand ambassador for a brand. Developing and maintaining AI influencer can prove to be more economical long-term choice in contrast to engaging with human influencers, who frequently demand substantial remuneration for sponsored posts and partnerships. In contrast, once an AI influencer is established, the costs primarily revolve around their continuous upkeep and content generation, presenting a more controllable and foreseeable financial commitment compared to the rates imposed by human influencers.
2. Lack of physical constraints
Unbound by geographical limitations and the constraints of physical presence. AI influencers transcend travel and logistical barriers, they can take multiple projects at different places simultaneously. Moreover, their perpetual youthfulness ensures the potential for longer-term partnerships.
3. Specialized and niche specific
The allure of AI influencers lies in their limitless potential for customization. Creators can design AI influencers with specific traits, appearances, and personas that align with their brand or messaging. Instead of finding influencers that align with their message, brands can just create the exact persona that they want.
4. Full control
Unlike human influencers who might engage in controversies or make mistakes, AI influencers adhere to predefined scripts and behaviors. This reduces the likelihood of PR mishaps and offer a controlled environment for brand messaging. AI influencers can be programmed to always deliver the same message and personality, which can be helpful for brands that want to create a consistent brand image.
The use of AI influencers in marketing allows companies to create a highly targeted and personalized content that can resonate with specific audiences. By using advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques, AI influencers can analyze data on consumer behavior and preferences to create content that is tailored to the interests and needs of their followers.
However, there are challenges that brands must consider:
1. Authenticity
They are not real people, and the audience knows that. This can make them less relatable to some people while building authentic relationships with audiences is a cornerstone of influencer marketing.
Additionally, operating within the confines of pre-programmed algorithms, they might encounter challenges in adapting to swiftly changing trends, dynamic cultural shifts, and evolving consumer preferences. This inflexibility could potentially hinder their ability to maintain relevance and resonate with audiences.
2. Can’t interact with a product
AI influencers lack the tactile dimension required for genuine product engagement. This limitation might hinder the portrayal of products in real-life scenarios and could potentially impact the credibility and relatability of endorsements. While human influencers affecting purchasing decision has been proven, the extent of AI influencers’ impact remains to be observed.
3. Dependency on the creator
AI influencers heavily rely on the creators who program and design them. These virtual personas essentially live within the mind of their creators as their behaviors, responses, and personalities are defined by the programming decisions made by the developers.
4. Data privacy
The intricate algorithms that power AI influencers rely on copious amounts of data collected from various sources, leading to questions about user consent, data ownership, and the potential for misuse.
Ultimately, the emotional depth and nuanced creativity of human influencers cannot be easily replicated by AI, potentially limiting the effectiveness of AI influencers in forming meaningful brand-consumer relationships.
The Backlash
Have you seen the episode ‘Joan is Awful’ from Black Mirror? It depicts the unsettling prospect of AI replacing human actors, a concern that resonates as AI technology advances. The episode delves into the integration of AI within the entertainment industry, a direction many entertainment and media companies are actively pursuing. Netflix, for instance, is reportedly offering up to $900,000 for a single AI manager, while Disney explores AI implementation for cost-effectivity in move production costs.
Movie studios’ plan to use AI has led to a strike by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), initiated on July 13, 2023. This labor dispute revolves around the extensive use of AI in the entertainment industry sector. While studios argue that AI can enhance content efficiency and effectiveness, SAG-AFTRA contends that its utilization risks job displacement for actors and writers.
The surge of AI influencers has ignited a debate surrounding ethical considerations. While some celebrate the technological prowess that brings these virtual personas to life, others question the ethical side of the trend. Concerns abound about manipulation as AI influencers could inadvertently set unattainable lifestyle benchmarks, as their flawlessly presented lives might not accurately mirror the complexities of reality. Additionally, apprehensions regarding data privacy arise as the creation of each AI influencer requires a vast amount of data and benchmark. And some just is wary of AI’s invasion on human dominance, with fears of potential job displacement within the creative sector.
The Future of AI Influencers: Disruption or Merely a Trend?
The future of AI influencers is still uncertain, but there is no doubt that they have the potential to revolutionize the influencer marketing industry. As technology continues to improve, AI influencers will become more realistic, more engaging, and more affordable.
The emergence of AI influencers opens the door to a future where human and AI collaborations could transform the dynamics of content creation and engagement. We might witness AI influencers working alongside human influencers, combining the authenticity and emotional depth of human experience with the consistency and availability of AI-driven content generation. This synergy could lead to a new era of influencer marketing, where AI influencers are used strategically to complement human efforts.
Whether AI influencers remain a trend or evolve into an integral part of our digital landscape, they undeniably remind us of the boundless possibilities that technology can offer, prompting us to reflect on what it means to be human in a world increasingly shaped by AI.