In Paris, social media influencers are finding themselves in a new competition – with artificial intelligence (AI). AI-generated Instagramers, TikTokers, and YouTubers are shaking up the scene, posing a challenge to human influencers.
One such example is Aitana Lopez, a virtual influencer with over 300,000 followers on Instagram. Sporting pink hair and various outfits, Aitana may seem real, but she’s actually a creation of The Clueless, an AI modeling agency based in Barcelona.
The Clueless project manager Sofia Novales highlighted the mission of the company to provide a cost-effective alternative to human influencers. With virtual models like Aitana, companies hold full control over content and there is no requirement of physical photoshoots.
However, the rise of AI has simultaneously raised concerns about deepfake videos. Meta announced its plan to label AI-generated content starting in May to address these concerns.
The AI still presents a massive business opportunity even with such worries. The influencer market is expected to soar from $16.5 billion in 2022 to nearly $200 billion by 2032, according to Allied Market Research.
Virtual influencers, such as Lil Miquela, who’s described as a “19-year-old Robot living in LA,” have become popular in the industry. Lil Miquela has millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok and has worked with big brands like BMW.
Maud Lejeune, who leads the Paris-based digital strategy agency AD Crew, thinks people are ready to accept AI influencers. She compares them to actors on TV. Lejeune even made her own virtual influencer, Metagaya, though she admits it’s tough to design and manage them.
Thanks to better technology like the OpenAI’s Sora video generator as it is getting easier to create and handle realistic virtual influencers. This suggests that AI and human influencers might have a place in the digital world in the future.
