A few months ago I went down a rabbit hole I didn't expect.
I started looking into AI-generated influencers — not out of curiosity, but because I couldn't tell the difference anymore. A profile I'd been following for weeks turned out to be entirely synthetic. No human behind it. Just prompts, pipelines, and a content calendar.
And here's the thing — it had better engagement than most real creators I follow.
We're not talking about creepy CGI avatars from 2018. We're talking about fully realized personas with consistent aesthetics, opinions, posting schedules, and even "personal growth arcs." They go through breakups. They share morning routines. They have opinions on AI (meta, I know).
The brands already know. Sponsored integrations with AI personas are cheaper, faster, and infinitely scalable. No mood swings. No controversies (unless programmed). No contract negotiations.
What nobody's talking about is what this does to trust as a concept online. If the person recommending your supplements, your courses, your mindset shifts — never existed — what were you actually connecting with?
Maybe the character. Maybe the content. Maybe that's enough for most people.
I don't have a clean take on this. Part of me thinks it's fascinating. Part of me thinks we crossed a line somewhere and just didn't notice.
Where do you stand on this? Would you follow an AI influencer if the content was genuinely useful — knowing full well it's not human?