AI-generated influencers are making waves in social media marketing. These virtual personas promise brands full creative control, cost efficiency, and the ability to engage audiences 24/7. But do they actually work? And more importantly, should brands use them?

Our take: probably not.

Here’s why.

What are AI Influencers?

AI influencers fall into two categories:

1. 1. Fully Artificial Influencers – These are completely AI-generated personalities with no real-world counterpart. Examples include Lil Miquela, a virtual character with over 2 million Instagram followers, and Shudu, a digital supermodel.
   2. AI Avatars of Real People – These are AI-generated versions of actual influencers, created to extend their brand presence or provide additional content opportunities.

While these AI-driven figures offer some unique possibilities, they also raise ethical and strategic questions for brands considering their use.

The Potential Benefits of AI Influencers

AI influencers are appealing for a few key reasons:

• • Cost Efficiency – AI influencers don’t require travel, event appearances, or traditional influencer fees, making them a lower-cost alternative.
  • Full Brand Control – Unlike human influencers, AI influencers won’t go off-script or create PR scandals. Brands have full oversight of messaging and content.
  • Availability & Consistency – AI influencers can post at any time, engage with audiences 24/7, and maintain a perfectly curated brand voice.
  • Customization – Brands can tailor every aspect of an AI influencer’s persona, from appearance to tone, to align with a specific target audience.
  • Data-Driven Optimization – AI can analyze audience responses and adjust content in real-time, refining engagement strategies.

For brands that prioritize control and efficiency over authenticity, AI influencers might seem like an attractive option. But that’s where the problems begin.

The Risks and Drawbacks of AI Influencers

Despite their appeal, AI influencers come with major limitations that brands need to consider:

1. 1. 1. Lack of Authenticity: Influencer marketing works because real people build real connections with their audiences. AI influencers cannot share personal stories, real-life experiences, or genuine emotions—making their influence inherently limited. Consumers can quickly detect inauthenticity, and many may disengage when they realize a brand is using AI instead of real people.
      2. Consumer Distrust: AI influencers can create skepticism, especially if brands fail to disclose that they are virtual creations. Transparency is critical, but even with clear disclosure, audiences may feel disconnected or manipulated by AI-driven content.
      3. No True Creativity or Innovation: AI influencers can follow trends, but they cannot innovate in the same way human influencers can. The best marketing campaigns come from real-world insights, emotions, and experiences—something AI simply cannot replicate.
      4. Ethical and Legal Concerns: The rise of AI influencers raises concerns about deepfake ethics, copyright infringement, and digital identity rights. If an AI influencer closely resembles a real person, brands could find themselves in legal gray areas regarding likeness and intellectual property.
      5. The Risk of AI Missteps: AI-generated content has a history of “hallucinations”—where AI produces incorrect, misleading, or even harmful responses. If an AI influencer is programmed to interact with audiences, there’s a risk of it generating inappropriate or damaging content that could quickly become a PR crisis.
      6. The Loss of Human Connection in Marketing: At its core, marketing is about human connection. Influencer marketing is effective because it builds trust between a brand and its audience through the voice of a real person. AI influencers lack the emotional depth and credibility that make influencer campaigns successful.

The Verdict: Are AI Influencers Worth It?

While AI influencers offer control, scalability, and cost savings, they lack the core elements that make influencer marketing effective: authenticity, trust, and human connection.

For now, we do not recommend brands invest in AI influencers. The risks—consumer distrust, legal challenges, and a lack of true influence—are too great. AI likely has a role in marketing in the future (and the present), but replacing human influencers with virtual characters is unlikely to drive the same level of engagement or trust.

Brands should proceed with extreme caution when considering AI influencers. While the technology is advancing, it hasn’t yet proven that it can replace human relationships in marketing.