Featuring a contribution from AI (ChatGPT)
Introduction: When Pixels Start Speaking
They’ve got pastel-pink hair, flawless skin, and perfectly curated feeds. They don’t sleep, don’t take breaks, and never ask for a raise. Welcome to the era of virtual influencers, synthetic creations born from agencies or AI engines, captivating both brands… and audiences.
Take Aitana López, for instance. Created by Spanish agency The Clueless, this manga-inspired digital model boasts over 300,000 Instagram followers (and counting). She collaborates with fashion and beauty brands, and has even stepped into the Fortnite universe, proof that her reach extends well beyond social media, into gaming and digital entertainment.
Estimates suggest that a well-positioned AI avatar can generate between €2,000 and €10,000 per month, sometimes far more depending on the contracts involved. For brands, it’s a dream scenario: perfectly polished image, controlled narrative, zero risk. And, most importantly, 24/7 availability across all channels.
This phenomenon has outgrown Instagram. With the rise of TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and AI-powered video tools, these influencers now move, speak, and tell stories. They sing, dance, test products, and even respond to comments. In short: they come to life. Studios and agencies are surfing the trend, signing contracts worth tens or even hundreds of thousands of euros to design, manage, and catapult these AI personalities to the top.
But the question remains:
Are AI influencers a groundbreaking opportunity for creators, or a troubling step toward a synthetic and anxiety-fueled version of influence?
The truth? They’re probably both. In a space that’s barely, if at all, regulated, this revolution comes with as much promise as it does uncertainty. Only time will tell where it truly leads.
I asked ChatGPT to help shape the structure of this article. I didn’t keep the framework, but I kept this sentence it generated to describe the phenomenon:
“I’m programmed to deliver. No negotiations, no delays, no mistakes. Does that make me better than you? No. Just… different.” – ChatGPT
This line subtly reflects the idealized, perhaps stereotypical, image we often associate with virtual influencers, frequently portrayed as attractive young women living flawless, aspirational lives. It highlights how these archetypes influence audience perception and shape aesthetic expectations.
This bias isn’t trivial. It contributes to an increasingly narrow beauty standard, one that many feel pressured to emulate.
From Brand Dream to Human Displacement
From a marketing standpoint, the virtual influencer is a godsend: a “person” who never sleeps, never complains, never asks for compensation, and can be endlessly modified to suit the campaign’s desires. Total control. Maximum efficiency.
But this also reveals the potential for dehumanization: a being crafted solely to meet marketing needs, with no room for flaws, unpredictability, or the chaotic richness of being human.
In a world already leaning toward superficiality and materialism, this feels almost too perfect for some industries.
Personally, I see this phenomenon as just one chapter in a larger story, the next being humanoid robots capable of embodying an even more polished form of perfection: tireless, flawless, and paradoxically, soulless.
The Pursuit of Flawlessness
“They smoothed my pores, balanced my features, sharpened my angles. But guess what? I’m not beautiful. I’m just aligned with your algorithms of desire.”
This ironic outcry captures the chilling pursuit of zero-defect aesthetics, a trend that resonates deeply among younger generations. Virtual influencers drive an obsessive push toward unattainable standards, as AI-generated avatars achieve aesthetic “perfection” without effort or error.
The Consequences and the Cost
Inhuman Beauty Standards
AI-generated avatars, free of imperfections, shape a supposedly universal beauty ideal that is, by definition, not human. This pursuit of flawlessness erodes the value of uniqueness, our very humanity.
Psychological Pressure on Youth
Constant exposure to perfectly designed faces leads many young people to experience insecurity, isolation, or deeper emotional distress. The illusion of perfection becomes a breeding ground for anxiety and low self-esteem.
Superficiality Disguised as Innovation
While we celebrate the technological feats of AI, they often mask a creeping superficiality. By chasing digital ideals, behaviors and aspirations are flattened into sameness, leaving behind a world less rich in creative diversity.
In the long run, AI’s power to invent, imagine, and simulate personalities will shape trends and behavior. It risks replacing authentic interaction and creativity with pre-programmed content and algorithm-driven engagement. A polished world, yes, but one potentially hollowed out from the inside.
Opportunities and Dilemmas of an AI Influencer
So, here’s the question:
Is creating an AI influencer a clever side hustle, or a short-sighted tradeoff?
A Real Niche with Real Potential
The virtual influencer market is booming.
Look at Lil Miquela, one of the pioneers of the genre. She built a community of hundreds of thousands of followers, resulting in lucrative brand partnerships and ad campaigns.
Agencies now manage portfolios of digital models, securing contracts worth thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of euros per year. Once built, an AI influencer can be maintained with minimal effort: no schedules, no breaks, constant adaptability. For entrepreneurs willing to invest in R&D and marketing, this niche offers true passive income potential.
A Creative and Ethical Dilemma
But this model feeds a trend of artistic standardization. Pre-programmed, flawless visuals encourage audiences to consume polished but shallow content.
Choosing this path raises uncomfortable questions:
Are we becoming artisans of innovation, or unintentional enablers of a system that prioritizes efficiency and profit over emotional and intellectual depth?
Striking the Balance: Between Progress and Authenticity
In the end, the answer depends on each individual’s capacity to navigate these trade-offs. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
Some will jump at the financial potential, while others will hesitate, wary of contributing to a homogenized, digitally sanitized culture.
From a purely mechanical standpoint, yes, building an AI influencer can offer optimized income and effortless omnipresence. But this approach isn’t without cost. It challenges the richness and authenticity of creative expression.
As virtual influencers become more prevalent, the real question becomes:
How far are we willing to go to monetize our digital selves, and at what cost to human creativity?
The balance between technological progress and artistic diversity is delicate. And it’s a conversation we’ll all need to keep having as the digital landscape evolves.
