The Next Generation of Influencers are AI
- Ria Kitsch
- May 31
- 1 min read
In fall of 2024 Trent spoke alongside Gary Vaynerchuk at the Richard Ivey School of Business. Trent came as an alumni and Gary as a high profile draw for the young student population that follows his many profiles across social media as the University prepared to open a new Center for Innovation.
It was a big event, lots of flash and videographers and cheerleaders, but when Gary spoke, everyone listened as he shared his ideas and visions of the future ahead.
One of the big trends that he foresaw - and is already becoming mainstream - is the idea of AI influencers.
Gary was certain that some of the most influential accounts over the next 5-10 years will not even be real people at all. Which will make them faster, cheaper and easier to work with as content producers.
Here is a video of him explaining the concept:
Have you noticed AI influencers on your feed already? Or AI companies trying to sell you the idea of creating your own? How do you feel about this as a consumer or business person? It certainly is a new frontier, we'd love to hear what you think in the comments.
While I knew about Miquela as a virtual performer, I had not thought about AI influencers as a thing. Considering how fast things are changing, I'm curious about Gary's thoughts since this 2024 presentation. I'm also curious about the wild card that AI actually is in terms of performance. There is a propensity to lie/hallucinate by AI. It seems like such a gamble to go this route, requiring a team to manage it. Is it even fiscally worth it? Because when things go wrong, they go really wrong (at least so far in AI history). Do you think you would go this AI influencer route for your business?
This was such an interesting read! It’s wild yet unsurprising at the same time to think that some of the profiles we see online are not real people, and this will only become more prevalent as AI tools advance. It does make sense that brands might prefer working with virtual personas over real people as it gives them more control over more variables. However, it will be interesting to see how the audience responds to this shift.