There was a time when people would talk about social media not being real, and it would refer to the carefully curated images and content that individuals would post to make their lives seem picture-perfect. However, with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) influencers, this phrase has taken on a whole new meaning.
These influencers are not living, breathing humans. Instead, they are computer-generated characters that have been created to mimic human behavior and personalities. Some of them have millions of followers and are earning thousands of dollars per post, making them just as influential and profitable as their human counterparts if not more.
Ironically, even these AI influencers aren't exactly AI. At the back end, there's a human controlling and directing their content and actions. You could be that human; our guide will show you how.
What's an AI Influencer?
An AI influencer or a virtual influencer is a computer-generated character that has been designed to interact with users on social media platforms. They have their unique personality, physical appearance, aesthetic, and voice.
One example of such an influencer is Aitana, an AI model cum influencer created by Rubén Cruz, the founder of The Clueless agency. Cruz created the Spanish influencer to meet his clients' influencer marketing needs. He explained,
"We started analysing how we were working and realised that many projects were being put on hold or cancelled due to problems beyond our control. Often, it was the fault of the influencer or model and not due to design issues."
The AI influencer can make up to €10,000 per month, with the average being €3,000. She currently has over 325k followers on Instagram and has worked with many big brands in Spain, including Big, a company that sells sports supplements.
Like Aitana, there are several other AI influencers partnering with brands on Instagram and TikTok. Although these influencers serve the same core purpose — influencing — they differ from human influencers in many aspects.
For one, AI influencers are not bound by physical limitations. They can appear in any form and have capabilities beyond human abilities, such as being able to change their appearance instantly. For example, Aitana has pink hair, but she could have blue hair in her next post.
Also, AI influencers usually appear alone in their posts. Unlike human influencers who post with other humans, AI influencer posts are usually solo shots.
Another difference is that AI influencers are not influenced by emotions. They're not bothered by hate comments or negative feedback and can continue to promote a brand without being affected by personal issues.
The Rise of AI Influencers
Previously, AI in influencer marketing was to do with using generative AI to create content or using AI to analyze and optimize campaign performance. However, things have moved quite forward now.
AI influencers are on a rise, and they seem to be quite a hit with people. For example, Lil Miquela is an Instagram AI influencer with over 2.5 million followers. She gets a ton of engagement on her posts, which makes her a viable option for influencer marketing.
The evolution of AI influencers has come in the wake of the need for autonomous and cost-effective social media marketing options. With some of the top influencers charging anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 per campaign, brands are looking for more affordable options that still bring in the desired results. And AI influencers seem to fit the bill perfectly.
As AI's capabilities continue to grow, so does the potential of AI influencers. So, we can expect to see more AI influencers on social media, mandating the need for brands to keep up.
How To Create an AI Influencer: A Step by Step Guide
You want to create an AI influencer but don't know where to begin. Don't worry; we've broken down the process into simple steps that you can follow to create your very own AI influencer.
Step 1: Define Your Niche and Target Audience
Like every human influencer, AI influencers also have to be niche-specific. Select which niche you want to target. Fashion is a good choice due to its ubiquity, but you can go with other options like tech, fitness, gaming, or even food.
After selecting the niche, conduct market research. Take a look at some other influencers in your niche and gauge what's missing that you can offer to the audience. Look for a unique angle or a gap in the market that you can fill with your AI influencer.
For example, in fashion, there's a shortage of plus-size or eco-friendly influencers, meaning there's a gap in the market that you can tap into.
Next, determine your target audience. What is their age and gender? Where are they located? Specify their interests and behaviors, too. Again, if you go with fashion, your target audience could be young, plus-sized college-going women living in the US who are interested in upgrading their wardrobe while being environmentally conscious.
In your market research, if you have already found human influencers in your niche, you can gather insights from their content. Notice the type of content that does best with their audience. This could be your starting point for content creation.
Step 2: Develop the AI Influencer's Persona
The creator of Aitana, the AI influencer mentioned above, noticed that people are interested in the influencers' lives and not just the pretty pictures they post. He said,
"In the first month, we realised that people follow lives, not images. Since she is not alive, we had to give her a bit of reality so that people could relate to her in some way. We had to tell a story."
So, when you create an AI influencer, you need to keep this in mind. Give the influencer a backstory. For example, you could create an AI influencer who attended fashion school in her country and has moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream career in the industry.
Create a personality for your AI influencer, too. For example, the influencer may be humorous and artistic or serious and passionate about environmental sustainability. The key is to impart human elements to the influencer to make them relatable.
They should also have some values. For example, eco-friendly living is a decent value to have. Other options include inclusivity and diversity, body positivity, mental health awareness, etc.
You can also give your AI influencer hobbies or interests. For example, Aitana's hobby is gaming. She even has it in her bio, and has partnered with Fortnite, too.
Similarly, create a visual appearance for your influencer, including their facial features, clothing preferences, hair color, eye color, height, weight, etc.
You can use AI tools to create different variations of your influencer's appearance and choose the one that seems to be the most relatable for the audience. For example, AI image generators can help provide a rough sketch of what the final version would look like. It helps if the influencer is instantly recognizable due to a physical trait, such as a distinct scar or an unusual hair color.
Take Imma, an AI influencer in Tokyo, as an example. She has bubblegum pink hair, which immediately makes her stand out and be recognizable on social media.
Her creators have also given her a fun and outgoing personality. She often posts pictures with other influencers (both human and AI) and is seen trying different foods and entertainment experiences.
Step 3: Leverage AI Technology
Since you'll have to create posts featuring the influencer regularly, you need to select AI tools and platforms with image generation and voice synthesis capabilities. RenderNet is one such tool. It lets you create character-driven visuals, including images and videos. Its TrueTouch feature adds texture to your character’s skin, making them look human.
RenderNets’ TrueTouch feature
You can also use machine learning frameworks to develop more advanced capabilities for your AI influencer, such as natural language processing and sentiment analysis. For example, OpenAI's GPT-4 lets you build AI models based on your requirements.
Be My Eyes, an app that connects blind people with volunteers, has used GPT-4 to generate a virtual volunteer that possesses human-like context comprehension.
There are also a couple of pre-trained AI models and APIs that you can use to generate or customize influencer content. For example, Open AI's ChatGPT is one of these AI content generators. You can use it to write social media captions for your influencer.
Similarly, DALL-E is an AI art generator that can create unique images. Alternatively, you can use it to manipulate influencer images, such as changing backgrounds or adding props.
Images aren't the only format human influencers use to express themselves. They also have their distinct voices, mannerisms, and facial expressions, which they show through videos. Since Reels and TikToks have become popular with the audience, your AI influencer also needs to jump on the bandwagon. For example, Imma creates fun, trendy Reels for her followers.
For that, use video creation tools like DeepBrain, Synthesia, Runway, or Fliki. Synthesia lets you create a custom avatar, which you can make similar to your AI influencer. You can also give your influencer a voice through Synthesia or use dedicated voice synthesis tools like Descript or Resemble AI for natural-sounding voice overs.
Don't stop there, though. For your AI influencer to be human-like, they must interact with their followers. You can either have a human team handle their social media DMs or use an AI chatbot platform that can interact with the audience in real time.
Step 4: Create Visuals and Content Strategy
By now, you should have created an influencer. Now, you can get them to do all things influencer-like.
First things first, create a content plan. Every influencer has one, so it makes sense for your AI creator to do so, too. The content plan should outline the topics and posts for each platform your influencer will use. It should also include the frequency and format of these posts. Include all content formats, such as stories, images, videos, polls, and other interactive features.
Our guide on ''How to Create Your Own Social Media Content Calendar'' is helpful in this regard.
Then, following this calendar, create high-quality content. You can use AI content generation tools to produce everything from images to videos. But it's also helpful to work with digital artists to make the content look more realistic and creative.
Videos can be a bit tricky since there's a lot of movement in them. However, face-swapping technologies like Reface can help you achieve the desired effect.
The most important part of AI influencer content creation is consistency. Since you're using AI tools to create posts, it's easy to stray from your influencer's style and appearance. But they can't have blue hair on Instagram and blonde on TikTok or alternate between being tall and short.
Human influencers are recognizable because they're consistent across all platforms. You need to do the same with an AI influencer. Create a reference model or template, and stick to it.
Step 5: Set Up and Optimize Social Media Profiles
Decide which platforms you want the influencer to be active on. If you're just getting started, opt for one platform only. Once you get the hang of content creation, you can expand to other social media platforms. Currently, Instagram is the go-to platform for most AI influencers, so you can start there, too. However, you should also account for your audience's presence when choosing a platform.
After platform selection, optimize your influencer's profile. Create a complete bio for them and keep their usernames consistent across all platforms.
For example, Shudu is an AI top model and influencer with 239k followers on Instagram. Her bio tells people that she's the first digital supermodel in the world. Plus, there's a link to her agency. She also has a striking profile picture and an easy-to-remember user name.
Another part of profile optimization is using the platform's features. For instance, Shudu has created Instagram highlights for her past work. There's also an FAQ highlight for new followers to learn more about her.
Speaking of learning more about the AI influencer, you also have to focus on community engagement. Respond to comments and messages from your target audience. A human team can manage this aspect of the influencer’s online presence using community-building tools. The team should also run polls and Q&A sessions to interact with the audience.
Along with solo content, your influencer should also collaborate with other influencers, whether they're human or computer-generated. It humanizes your AI influencer's presence as audiences are used to seeing creators partner with others. Shudu does this on her Instagram page. In this post, she has collaborated with Dagny, another AI influencer, for a Valentine's Day post.
Step 6: Address Ethical Considerations
All the AI influencers we have mentioned so far clearly state in their social media bios that they are virtual entities, not real humans. You should be transparent to avoid misleading your audience. The same goes for brands. Let them know your influencer and content are AI-generated.
Listen to your audience, too. If they share any ethical concerns in the comments or DMs, address them. For example, your influencer following religious rituals may come across as offensive to some audiences. You can take down such content to avoid controversies.
It's best to have a legal advisor who can guide you with laws or regulations regarding AI-generated content and influencer marketing. Many countries are in the process of making such laws, so you should be prepared.
Step 7: Measure Success and Optimize Performance
AI influencer marketing is no different from human influencer marketing when it comes to measuring success. You need to decide on key performance indicators (KPIs) you'll measure for every campaign. These could be social media engagement, follower growth, revenue generation, or conversion rates.
Check out our guide on influencer analytics tools to find platforms for KPI measurement.
In addition to tool-based analysis, conduct surveys to get direct insights from your audience. You can run polls in your stories or posts to see which type of content people like. Or put up a question sticker to get detailed responses.
Use both these insights to improve your content strategy over time. Incorporate new trends in your industry in your content, too. More importantly, keep an eye on human influencers and their content's evolution, as they are usually the change makers. Don't copy them blatantly, but take inspiration from them.
How To Make Money With Your AI Influencer
We covered all the steps to create an AI influencer above. However, we didn't touch on the money-making aspect of having an AI influencer because it requires an extensive section. Here are some ways to monetize your AI influencer.
Brand Collaborations and Sponsorships
The primary source of income for many influencers is brand deals. Brands reach out to influencers to capitalize on their followings and promote their products. As a beginner, your AI influencer can earn through brand collaborations and sponsorships.
Look for brands in your niche who are known for running influencer campaigns. Pitch your AI influencer to them via a professional media kit, which shows your influencers' reach, demographic data, engagement metrics, and alignment with the brand. Basically, you want to show the brand how your influencer can benefit them.
Once the brand responds, be prepared to negotiate the payment terms. Create a contract that highlights the deliverables and timeline for the campaign. The next step is to create these deliverables. Just like human influencers, you have to use a hashtag or somehow explicitly disclose the partnership.
Take Kyra as an example. She's India's first AI influencer, who has worked with some of the top brands including Loreal. As you can see, her post discloses that this video is a paid partnership.
Subscription-Based Platforms
If you think people are interested in exclusive content from your AI influencer, you can create an account for them on a subscription platform like Ko-fi or Patreon. Categorize the subscriptions into different tiers so that people can subscribe accordingly. That's what top creators on Patreon do to monetize their followers.
For example, in the basic tier, subscribers may get access to behind-the-scenes content, while the premium tier may offer personalized messages or exclusive merchandise. Here are some other types of premiums you can offer:
- Early access to content
- Live Q&A sessions with the AI influencer
- One-on-one sessions
- Discount codes for merchandise
- Exclusive digital products
- Exclusive videos
Milla Sofia, a fashion and beauty influencer, has a Patreon account. She offers two tiers: Fan and Avid Fan, priced at $25 and $50 respectively.
Milla Sofia Patreon
Merchandise Sales
Human influencers make bank with merchandise sales. Why not do the same with your AI influencer? You can create branded merchandise that somehow relates to the AI influencer's persona or content. It could be associated with a phrase they use or a signature outfit they wear.
Besides apparel, you can also create accessories and digital products. While using AI design tools is an option, they can often create repetitive or generic outputs. Instead, working with a human designer could bring more creativity and originality to your designs.
Sell this merchandise on your own website or an eCommerce platform like Etsy or Shopify. To really give your shop a professional look, create a logo using an AI logo generator. Your merchandise should also have unique packaging.
Promote your merch by putting a link to it in the influencer's social media bios. You can also post about it on their social media pages.
Affiliate Marketing
The global spend on affiliate marketing is forecasted to reach $14 billion, which provides an additional money-making opportunity for your AI influencer. Join an affiliate network like ShareASale or Amazon Associates, and promote products that align with your influencer's niche and online persona.
For example, an AI lifestyle influencer can create content around self-care and promote products like skincare or wellness devices. Milla Sofia does this. She has partnered with Tyyliluuri, a phone case brand, to promote their products. Not only does she create content showing herself using their phone cases, but she also has a link to their Instagram account in her bio.
When one of her followers purchases a phone case using her unique affiliate link, Milla earns a commission.
Digital Products and Services
Depending on your influencer's niche, they can also offer digital products and virtual services. For example, a fashion influencer can sell eBooks and tutorials on styling. Similarly, an online influencer in the lifestyle niche can sell budgeting or time management templates.
As for virtual services, they may be a bit tricky but can be profitable if your influencer is knowledgeable in a particular field.
For example, if your AI influencer is a travel enthusiast, they can offer personalized advice on creating itineraries based on different budgets, interests, and travel preferences. They can also offer virtual tours or travel planning services for a fee. You can offer these virtual services through Discord or Zoom.
Leveraging Social Media Monetization Features
Some social media platforms have built-in monetization features. For example, YouTube lets creators earn through the Partner Program. Milla Sofia has a YouTube channel, where she earns through ads and sponsored content. You can take a similar route with your AI influencer.
The same applies to the TikTok Creator Fund, which pays creators for views. You can also set up a TikTok Shop and sell your merchandise there.
Also, check out ''How Much Does TikTok Pay?''
The Advantages of AI Influencers
There must be a reason AI influencers are becoming increasingly popular, right? Well, there's more than just one reason.
Cost-Effectiveness
Working with AI influencers is comparatively cheaper than working with human social media influencers. The creator of Aitana mentioned cost-savings to be one of the reasons for developing her. He said,
''Kim Kardashian makes a million euros for an Instagram photo and she doesn't cure cancer. Nobody earns a million euros for uploading a photo to a social network, it seems absurd to me.''
His claim is definitely true because Forbes reports that human influencers charge 46x more than their AI counterparts. AI influencers allow small businesses to benefit from the power of influencer marketing without breaking the bank.
Consistency and Availability
AI influencers don't go to sleep. They don't take social media breaks, nor do they have personal matters to attend to. They are available 24/7, which means they can consistently create content for brands without any disruptions.
Plus, they follow a consistent message and aesthetic across all platforms. So, there's a lower risk of them causing any controversy or compromising a brand's values.
Customization and Flexibility
Unlike human influencers, who may have preferences and limitations, AI influencers can be customized and used in any way a brand wants. Their content and tone can also be adjusted quickly based on a brand's requirements.
Data-Driven Insights
There's a lot of data that goes into creating and managing an AI influencer. These insights help track audience interests and behaviors, which can be used to create more targeted campaigns. AI influencers can also adapt to new trends quickly since they don't have to work as hard as human influencers to take their content toward a new trajectory.
All they have to do is put content curation tools to action according to new audience behaviors or trends, whereas a human influencer would have to change their entire strategy and content style to align with the new trend.
Global Reach
AI influencers can be programmed to speak the language of their audience and follow their cultural nuances. So, it's possible to reach a global audience without any language barriers or cultural insensitivities.
Kenza Layli is a good example. She's a Moroccan AI influencer who wears the hijab and posts captions in Arabic (along with English). It's due to her adaptation to the local audience that she has an engaged following of 207k and has even become the first-ever Miss AI.
The Disadvantages of AI Influencers
As beneficial as they may be, AI influencers have some shortcomings, too.
Lack of Authenticity
You can try to make an influencer as ''human'' as possible, but it's still an AI. It can't have real-life experiences and emotions that human influencers use to connect with the audience. The absence of this relatability can result in low engagement.
Ethical and Legal Concerns
The laws around AI are still evolving. So, it's a bit challenging to navigate the ethical and legal concerns that arise with AI influencers.
At the moment, being super transparent is the best you can do. The future will tell if legal issues, such as those related to advertising standards and intellectual property, may become major obstacles.
Technical Limitations
It's one thing to use AI influencer marketing platforms as a human influencer, but another to build an influencer from scratch. The process requires a lot of technical resources and expertise, which most brands don't have. There's also a risk of error since AI tools are known to have biases that can lead to brand misrepresentation or, worse, a PR disaster.
Potential Negative Impact on Human Influencers
Generative AI is already forecasted to impact 300 million white-collar jobs globally. The same seems to be the concern in the influencer spaces, too.
Danae Mercer, an influencer with over 2 million followers, expressed her concern about AI influencers taking over human influencers' jobs. She further said,
''What freaks me out about these influencers is how hard it is to tell they're fake.''
As AI influencers become more common, human influencers may face a decline in opportunities as brands opt for more cost-effective and controllable AI alternatives. The end result may be a decrease in diversity and creativity within the influencer industry.
Dependence on Technology
At the end of the day, AI influencers are tech-run entities. And we all know tech is vulnerable to cyberattacks and failures. The recent Microsoft-CrowdStrike issue, which approximately cost US Fortune 500 companies $5.4 billion in financial loss, is a lesson to ponder.
AI influencers also require constant tech reliance to stay up-to-date and effective. So, it's an ongoing expense that you have to account for.
Unleashing the Potential of AI Influencers
Thanks to the work of AI stars in the tech field, we now have AI influencers who can work as brand ambassadors and influential figures. These influencers can earn just like human creators through brand sponsorships, affiliate marketing, merchandise sales, and subscriptions.
You need quite a lot of technical expertise to create an AI influencer. Besides creating their visual appearance, you also have to give them a personality and aesthetic. Then comes content creation, which you can master through AI tools. Use AI prompt optimization services to get the input right every single time.
AI influencers come with a host of benefits, such as consistency, cost-effectiveness, global reach, and versatility. On the flip side, their downsides include technical dependence, ethical concerns, and poor audience relatability.
However, there are many AI social media influencers who are making as high as over $20,000 per Instagram post. With the guidance mentioned above, you can join their ranks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What tools and software are needed to create AI influencers?
You'll need the following types of tools to create AI influencers:
- AI content generation tools
- Face-swapping tools
- AI video and voice generators
- Natural Language Processing (NLP) software
- Content curation tools
How do AI influencers gain followers and go viral on social media platforms?
AI influencers grow and go viral on social media just like their human counterparts. They create regular content, interact with their followers, follow current trends, and collaborate with other influencers. They can also use paid promotions, hashtags, and algorithm-optimized content to grow their following.
How can I approach brands for collaborations with an AI influencer?
Create a professional influencer media kit, which includes the AI influencer's audience demographics, engagement rates, content style, and pricing. Reach out to brands through email or social media platforms and show them the benefits of working with your AI influencer, such as lower cost, high engagement rates, etc.
What are the ethical considerations when creating and managing AI influencers?
The most common ethical considerations around AI influencers are transparency and authenticity. You must disclose that the influencer is not a real person but an AI-generated entity. Also, don't use the influencer to create or promote content that may hurt your audience's sentiments to deceive them for financial gain.
How can I monetize my AI influencer through virtual merchandise sales?
First, create virtual merchandise, which could be in the form of digital clothing, accessories, or even customized virtual items. Then, create your own website or use an eCommerce platform to sell these items. Talk about these items on your AI influencer's social media accounts to attract customers. You may also collaborate with brands to create branded virtual merchandise and earn a commission through sales.
What are the benefits of using AI influencers in metaverse platforms?
The main benefits of using AI influencers are their cost-effectiveness, branding control, scalability, and versatility. They can work 24/7, speak any language, follow any cultural norms, and be in any location while staying consistent with a certain brand image. In metaverse platforms, these influencers can serve as brand representatives. They can also be personalized for specific campaigns, such as a sale event or a product launch in the metaverse.
