Welcome to the dawn of a recent era in social media where the line between reality and virtuality blurs: giving rise to AI influencers! Let’s discover together the fascinating world where artificial intelligence and personas meet and create the next frontier of social media.
If you ended up here, I take it that you simply are very much involved with the latest developments in AI and digital marketing. And that’s true, AI is coming for human influencers for social media.
Not much, let’s just return a bit bit to where the idea of AI influencers was born and developed. Big tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Meta are pushing the boundaries of AI powered promoting. They’re encouraging brands to begin using the best AI tools for digital marketing and ad creation, promising increased effectiveness, reduced costs, and precise targeting. This technology has led to the emergence of AI-generated virtual influencers, who are being utilized by brands for his or her affordability and talent to generate consistent content.
A case study by Meta proves the power of AI influencers! H&M has teamed up with Meta, virtual creator Kuki (@kuki_ai) from ICONIQ AI to advertise its metaverse-inspired collection.
The ad campaign for Instagram was launched in several video formats and Kuki was wearing various outfits from H&M. The campaign lasted for 10 days and because of this, H&M saw an 11X increase in ad recall. That’s mind blowing, huh?
Before diving into the exciting world of AI influencers, let’s take a have a look at what the concept is and the way they work.
What is an AI Influencer?
Think of an influencer who never ages, eats, sleeps, and even takes a break – here are AI influencers! They are not average Joe or Jane, they are computer-generated characters designed with sophisticated artificial intelligence technologies to mimic human influencers on social media platforms.
The rise of these virtual influencers isn’t only a vogue. They are becoming an actual force for each social media and influencer marketing. Brands are increasingly collaborating with these digital personas, as they find them to be cost-effective in engagement and unlimited in creativity.
There are three types of AI influencers: non-humans, animated humans, and life-like CGI humans. Each one provides an modern solution to connect with audiences.
How Do AI Influencers Work?
AI influencers confer with the intersection of technology and creativity. It’s a mix of 3D modeling, AI algorithms, and artistic scripting that brings these virtual entities to life. This duo allows them to post content, engage with users, and even take part in brand collaborations as any human influencer would. The content creation process involves teams of graphic designers, animators, and AI specialists who work together to be sure the influencer’s posts are not only visually appealing but in addition engaging and interactive.
Examples of AI influencers working with brands illustrate their operational dynamics. For instance, a virtual influencer may be programmed to wear digital versions of fashion brands’ latest collections like Kuki did, tag the brand, and use specific hashtags, similar to a human influencer would. The difference lies in the background operations, where every post, comment, or story is the result of careful planning and execution by a team reasonably than spontaneous human creativity.
Back in 2018, during the Milan autumn/winter fashion week, AI influencer Miquela (a.k.a. Lil Miquela) took over the fashion house Prada’s Instagram and made waves as she attended Prada’s fashion show and posted BTS videos alongside sneak peeks of the collection.
What’s more? In 2019, when Lil Miquela really took the world by storm. She has collaborated with Bella Hadid for Calvin Klein’s campaign. For the first time, a preferred model collaborated with an AI influencer. Although the ad campaign caused controversy for being queerbaiting, it was an engagement-driven one for a lot of. Later on, Calvin Klein apologized for Bella Hadid and Lil Miquela ad campaign.
Here’s the ad:
Since then, these virtual stars have been shining brighter! More recently, in 2021, Prada has also debuted a computer-generated muse Candy, for his or her Candy perfume.
As the marketplace for AI influencers grows exponentially, it also gives rise to some issues: transparency. Most AI influencers look real human-like, so it is perhaps difficult to differentiate between them to real people sooner or later. In the promoting world, this might cause some problems. That’s why some social media platforms like TikTok has taken precautions.
Recently, TikTok has updated its content guidelines as follows;
“Synthetic or manipulated media that shows realistic scenes should be clearly disclosed. This may be done through the use of a sticker or caption, similar to ‘synthetic’, ‘fake’, ‘not real’, or ‘altered’.”
Anyway, without going off topic an excessive amount of, let’s take a better have a look at the best AI influencers.
The Digital Hall of Fame: Leading AI Influencers to Know
Drum roll, please! Time to roll out the virtual red carpet for the stars of this digital world. Each AI influencer here isn’t just a reputation but a fame, a mix of art, technology, and personality designed to intrigue, engage, and encourage.
Miquela Sousa (Lil Miquela)
I do know, I’ve already mentioned several times but Lil Miquela is the master of this virtual world. She was created in 2016 by Trevor McFedries and Sara DeCou as the background of being a Brazilian-American 19-year-old girl.
A digital sensation with hundreds of thousands of followers, Miquela blurs the lines between virtual and reality by charming audiences along with her collaborations with fashion giants like Calvin Klein and Prada. Her digital footprint is a testament to the magnetic appeal of AI influencers. Her Instagram account has reached hundreds of thousands of followers just in a pair of years.
Aitana Lopez
Aitana is one of my fave AI influencers – her pinky hair shines vibrant like a diamond! Aitana was created in 2023 by designer Rubén Cruz and his agency called The Clueless. A 25-year-old model carries the title of being the first AI influencer in Spain.
Like real influencers, Aitana shares her fitness journey and love for gaming along with her followers. Brands like Olaplex, Brandy Melville Spain, and Intimissimi pay her about $1,000 per post. She is entirely fictional but surprising, isn’t it?
Although she’s not alive, she has a story to inform. That’s one of the points that made her shine through. One of the rumours about her, she receives weekly private messages from celebrities asking her out, the designer Cruz says.
Shudu Gram
I would love to introduce the world’s first digital supermodel to you! Created by the fashion photographer Cameron-James Wilson in April 2017. Wilson says that he was inspired by the South African princess Barbie doll. To the questions on why he designed such a personality, he says he sees a scarcity of diversity in the modelling world.
Shudu’s passion is fashion and with fashion-related posts, her Instagram account racked up 162k users in a really short time. But her real fame got here along with her post with Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty lipstick.
Noonoouri
Noonoouri’s quirky and cartoonish appearance differentiates her from other virtual influencers like Lil Miquela and Shudu. She proves that even non-human influencers can achieve huge success as they supply a break from reality.
Joerg Zuber, founder of Opium Effect, brought her to life in 2018. IMG, the agency known for launching the careers of Gigi and Bella Hadid, now represents her. As you’ll be able to imagine, she is closely related to fashion. Noonoouri poses wearing iconic archive pieces from Alexander McQueen, Viktor & Rolf, and Thierry Mugler and posts on her IG.
She shouldn’t be only born for fashion, but she also advocates for sustainability, ecology, and wildlife protection. However, one of the hottest AI social media influencers recently turned her focus to music. Last August, Noonoouri signed with record label Warner Music and released her first single “Dominoes”.
Lightning
Lightning is originally an iconic character in the Japanese video game Final Fantasy. In 2015, Lightning turned to fashion. Nicolas Ghesquière, who’s a gamer himself but in addition a manga lover, at the same time and artistic director at Louis Vuitton, took inspiration from Lightning’s pinkish hair and angelic face to create a recent collection. Isn’t it amazing how generative AI fascinates each industry with its creativity?
Later on, the digital avatar Lightning appeared in the Spring-Summer 2016 collection videos promoting campaign wearing Louis Vuitton clothes and accessories.
Lu of Magalu
Brazil’s own digital darling, Lu, offers greater than just style suggestions; she’s a gateway to understanding how AI can revolutionize retail and beyond.
Magazine Luiza launched Lu in 2003 as a helpful voice for web shoppers. But Lu’s popularity soared and transformed her from a virtual assistant into the company’s heart and soul, even becoming their social media star.
More than simply a virtual face, she’s a changemaker! As the first non-athlete personality in Brazil to represent Red Bull, she defies labels. Tackling social issues like women’s violence, she uses her voice for good. Collaborating with global brands like Adidas and McDonald’s, she even became the first virtual star on Vogue Brasil’s cover! Expect her all over the place, from funny memes on Instagram to engaging content on TikTok and beyond.
In a nutshell, AI powered influencers are making waves beyond the metaverse by charming audiences on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. These computer-generated characters delivered to life with stunning CGI, are constructing loyal followings. A major 58% of people say they follow at the very least one virtual influencer! More than simply digital avatars, these characters develop personalities, interact with fans, and even see higher engagement than their real-life matches.
Semantic Evolution in Influencer Marketing
AI influencers are gaining popularity as a result of their futuristic appeal, cost-effectiveness, and intriguing nature. They’re not only a solution to the skyrocketing rates charged by human influencers but a recent chapter in the story of digital marketing. Through strategic collaborations, powered by influencer marketing agencies and the AI marketing services they provide, these digital personas are setting the stage for a future where AI is an integral part of digital marketing strategies.
They’re not only changing the game; they’re creating a complete recent playing field, mixing the lines between what’s real and what’s digital in ways in which are each modern and intriguing.
So, as we explore this exciting world, let’s embrace the curiosity and wonder that these digital pioneers encourage, for of their virtual hands lies the blueprint of tomorrow’s social media.
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