Are AI influencers a threat to brands and the creators they replace?

Earlier this month, digital marketplace Whop released a study with a striking data point: one in every three Gen Z consumers now follow recommendations from AI influencers. 

With that kind of sway, brands are investing fast in synthetic creators. However, some experts wonder whether this rush to capitalize on artificial intelligence could backfire, threatening creators’ livelihoods and exposing brands to ethical, legal, and reputational risk.

So the question becomes: Are AI creators a smart bet—or a growing gamble?

But, first…what exactly are AI influencers?

AI influencers are computer-generated personas designed to look, sound, and act like real people. They appear on social platforms, interact with followers, and promote brands - just like human creators. 

But behind the scenes, they're powered by a mix of generative models, creative direction, and sometimes entire production teams managing their narratives. AI influencers are built by brands, agencies, or individual creators.

Lil Miquela, launched in 2016 by the LA-based startup company Brud, is an example of an AI influencer. Her Instagram feed is a blend of fashion editorials, selfies, and social media posts that support various causes. This fun blend creates a persona that feels both aspirational and oddly grounded. 

With over 2 million followers, she’s landed partnerships with Prada, Calvin Klein, and Bumble, and she’s positioned like a model-slash-activist.

Miquela is clearly synthetic, yet curated to feel emotionally human.

Why are AI creators gaining traction?

Part of it comes down to novelty and speed. AI is the world’s shiny new toy. With a thoughtful prompt and the click of a button, platforms return interesting images and full video content. AI is new, fast, and fun - it's a pivotal shortcut to creation.

But the AI influencer craze isn’t only about hype. It’s also about access. As Thomas Markland, founder of the creator company HYDP, explains, “AI influencers are nothing new. Influencers like Lil Miquela have been around since 2016. That said, today’s AI models available to the general public -specifically Google VEO3- have enabled anyone to create a humanoid static or video asset easily.”

What’s more, as Markland explains, “With these models arriving at a time when social media content creators are one of the most dominant forces in commerce, communication, and entertainment, many believe the floodgates will open on social media for a rise of AI-generated content creators.”

There’s also the monetary aspect for both creators and brands. Younger creators are trying to build passive income. And AI provides them with the tools to build without needing to appear on camera or learn how to edit. 

“Simplifying the process of creating an AI influencer eliminates the need for prior experience and opens up new income avenues,” says Cameron Zoub, Chief Growth Officer at Whop. “Younger generations are hungry for opportunities to make money online. It’s a sign of the times, and what’s more, a preview of what’s coming.”

Markland adds to this sentiment, “Most creators are… focused on how these tools can help them drive growth. Over the past few months, we've seen revenues across platforms increase, and with layoffs in the traditional media space, creators are excited to see how AI and the creator economy will challenge traditional media further.”

For brands, the appeal is equally clear. AI influencers don’t negotiate rates, require approvals, or take time off. They’re infinitely customizable and always available. Brands can generate dozens of videos in the time it would take to plan a single campaign with a human creator.

Instead of splitting revenue with a wide network of influencers, companies can maintain tighter control and scale output quickly, all while targeting specific demographics and languages with precision.

In other words: fewer contracts, more content, and a bigger cut.

But, audiences want real, not rendered (for now)

While AI influencers are all the rage for creators and brands, they (and the tools used to create them) are not always embraced by the people who matter most - audiences.

The knee-jerk reaction to the AI craze from many consumers is often visceral. When audiences feel that AI is replacing people rather than empowering them, the backlash is swift and loud. 

We’ve seen this with Sports Illustrated publishing AI-generated stories under fake human bylines, and with Marvel’s use of AI-generated visuals in the opening credits of Secret Invasion - a move fans widely criticized as undercutting the work of real artists. 

And when Duolingo suggested that AI might eventually replace some of its staff, the response was no different. “We need to examine Duolingo's social media comments following their announcement that AI would eventually replace their workers,” said Markland. “Social media comments were filled with backlash.”

At its core, the discomfort comes from a loss of human connection.

“Creators and influencers exist because audiences are drawn to the highly personal connections they seem to hold with these individuals," says Markland.

Audiences build emotional bonds with human creators - people who share their lives, quirks, and imperfections. When AI steps in, it threatens the sense of authenticity and relatability that makes creator content so powerful.

The creator economy is at a crossroads

If AI influencers become the norm, the line between artificial and authentic may begin to blur. “Our notion of human vs. AI will have radically shifted, and across all media, AI-generated humanoid avatars will be the chosen form of entertainment worldwide,” says Markland.

This also raises a challenging question for the future of the creator economy: Will AI influencers and AI tools ultimately replace creators?

The answer may depend on where creators currently sit. Established creators with loyal followings will likely benefit by using AI tools to scale their content and maintain deeper relationships with fans. But for new and emerging creators trying to break in?

“Without regulation and policy, I envision a world where genuine creators struggle to break through against AI-generated content,” said Markland. “AI content can be created at a higher volume and lower cost than genuine creator content. And while public models still lack the refinement of real creators, over time, they will become indistinguishable.”

In other words, audiences may be resistant now, as it's easy to distinguish between AI and human influencers. But as AI improves and potentially becomes the dominant format, we could see creators competing not just with each other, but with perfectly optimized digital avatars. When that happens, the economic and emotional foundations of the creator economy may never be the same.

“Why will movie studios invest millions of dollars into actors when they can create stars, ones they own indefinitely? For the arts and creativity, it most certainly presents a long-term threat,” says Markland.

Are brands at risk, too?

For brands, AI influencers offer speed, scale, and cost-efficiency. But those upsides come with growing reputational risk, particularly when it comes to security, legal uncertainty, and ethics.

“The most significant risk comes from bad actors utilizing these new tools and the lack of regulation, which can cause societal damage,” says Markland. “Currently, I can create 100,000 social media profiles that appear to be human, build a following, and, at the right time, get them all to say the same thing, such as ‘Vote Thomas Markland for President.’”

That scenario might sound extreme, but as Markland warns, “This will happen without regulation, and when it does, the backlash against AI creators will be massive. Consumers will feel manipulated, and brands that have utilized this mechanism for their benefit could be in BIG trouble.”

Even full transparency creates complications, as in the case of Duolingo. “With the Duolingo example, we find ourselves in a situation,” Markland says. “Reveal that you are giving more money to the robots, and the audience hates you. Don't reveal it, and it could be the end of your brand.”

Legal clarity isn’t much better. “It's not an area I've explored, but there is currently little FTC or legal regulation in this area,” Markland admits. That lack of guardrails creates major ambiguity around content ownership, synthetic endorsements, and disclosure.

And the policy landscape may only grow more uncertain. “President Trump's budget reconciliation bill also looks to ban states from regulating AI for 10 years, adding more risk to the above scenario,” Markland notes.

For brands, the absence of clear guardrails turns AI experimentation into a high-stakes reputational gamble. And brands could face serious fallout from consumers, regulators, or both, unless they work with teams and tools that can bridge innovation and integrity, blending AI’s potential with brand safety and audience trust.

What happens next?

The AI creator wave is still young, but it’s moving fast. What began as a novelty is evolving into something more embedded, more normalized, and ultimately, more influential across industries.

Markland believes AI will rapidly become an integral part of our daily lives. He points out that we already trust our phones to access our bank accounts, plan the safest car journey, and even hold our ID cards. “When this behavior is repeated - but this time with an AI assistant that helps you work, travel, pay, and much more - the stigma of AI will disappear and likely, with that, our viewpoint on AI influencers,” he says.

That growing comfort won’t erase the role of human creators immediately, but it will change it. Markland sees a short-term window of coexistence: “For the next few years, I have no doubt they'll coexist. Beyond that, we'll be closely watching how humans interact with technology, entertainment, and brands to understand the landscape better.” 

He notes that platforms have already shifted from peer-to-peer networks into full-blown entertainment channels, and with the rise of AI, “we can expect a revolution, not evolution, in the way we are entertained and interact.”

In that landscape, creators who adopt AI tools could be the ones who thrive. Markland says HYDP was founded on the belief that creators would become the future of entertainment, commerce, and communication, and AI is accelerating that trajectory. “AI has now made it easier than ever for creators to leverage their loyal communities for financial gain. You can build a brand, an app, or a movie using these tools. AI will empower creators to become an even larger threat to traditional media.”

The future of the creator economy depends less on the tech and more on the people who decide how to use it.