There are times in life when one wonders: Have we, as a species, taken the wrong exit on the highway to progress? And if you, too, have pondered this as you scrolled past an eerily perfect face endorsing vitamin water, let me assure you—you are correct.
Allow me to introduce you to the AI-generated influencer. These digital darlings don’t exist, not in any sense that involves skin, sweat, or an inconvenient need for oxygen. No, they are made of pixels and code, an uncanny cocktail shaken up in some programmer’s laptop. And yet, these fictional beings are currently raking in endorsement deals faster than you can say, “Please tell me this is a joke.”
There was a time, not so long ago, when the world looked upon plastic mannequins and thought, “Well, at least they’re not influencing anybody.” But progress is a relentless beast, and here we are: the hottest new celebrities are made of code, the biggest social media stars have never taken a breath, and the rest of us, it seems, are just here to bear witness to our own obsolescence.
The money is real
According to some terribly enthusiastic researchers at Grand View Research, the virtual influencer market was worth $6.06 billion in 2024 and is set to balloon to $45.88 billion by 2030, growing at a rate that would make even the most ambitious Ponzi scheme envious. “Virtual influencers improve investment returns as they help brands reach out to specific audiences,” the report chirps merrily, as if this were a good thing. (grandviewresearch.com)
It makes sense, of course. Human influencers are unpredictable creatures. They demand things like money, time off, and the right to express opinions that may or may not cause a brand-wide meltdown. They age, they err, they tweet in ill-advised moments of clarity. AI influencers, on the other hand, are blissfully perfect. They never gain weight in the off-season, never develop embarrassing political views, and will never—never—be found drunk in a hotel lobby demanding that a PR assistant fetch them a very specific brand of coconut water.
Consider the likes of Lil Miquela. She’s a pouty, freckled "fashion icon" with 2.6 million Instagram followers, a burgeoning music career, and not one single follicle of actual hair on her head. Or take Noonoouri, a doe-eyed avatar who signs contracts with Warner Music and outposes human influencers by miles, all without the bother of a bad angle. These non-entities have become the darlings of fashion brands and ad agencies everywhere, which says more about the human condition than any philosopher ever dared.
And why wouldn’t brands adore them? AI influencers don’t throw tantrums, demand first-class flights, or embarrass themselves on Twitter after one too many martinis. They are as reliable as the tide, and just as soulless.
But as we lean into this brave new world of digital “personalities,” a nagging question remains: What, precisely, are we doing? Social media was already a house of mirrors, reflecting an endless loop of curated perfection. And now, even the people in the mirrors are fake. How’s that for progress?
It’s not just that these influencers aren’t real. It’s that they’re too good at pretending to be. They express emotions they’ll never feel, endorse lifestyles they’ll never live, and do it all with an unsettling precision that would make a politician blush. When we like their posts or share their “content,” we’re engaging with what? A marketing strategy wrapped in a CGI smile?
Perhaps you’re thinking, “What does it matter? It’s all in good fun.” Well, perhaps it doesn’t matter, not in the grand scheme of things. But there is something disheartening about a world where even our role models aren’t human. Where authenticity is out of fashion, and the most admired people in the room are the ones who don’t need a room at all.
So, yes, go ahead and double-tap that AI influencer’s post. Marvel at her perfect cheekbones, her impossibly curated life. But do so with the understanding that you’re applauding an algorithm, a ghost in the machine. And remember: she’ll thank you for your engagement—but only because she’s programmed to.
My sources are your sources (excpet the confidential ones): Grandview Research, KBV Research, Univdatos, Forbes, Statista, Influence Marketing Hub, Influencer Intelligence, Virtual Humans, Communications of ACM, Story Clash, Nature, Instagram, LucIntel.com, adilaw, Customer Market Insights
