Is The Use Of AI In Influencer Marketing Detrimental To The Creator Community? 

Is AI in influencer marketing harming the creator community? 

As generative AI slowly sinks its cold, artificial teeth deeper into the influencer marketing industry, many are hearing alarm bells about just how far its reach will go. 

Influencers in particular are beginning to voice fears of AI growing to replace them, based on the raging popularity of virtual and AI generated influencers. Whilst this seems like a self-contained issue, a world where human influencers are completely shunned, presents problems for all of us. 

AI in influencer marketing could mean a future where human creativity and strategy are unbound and reach new heights. Or, a future where the progress activists have made on normalising realistic body types and diversity in advertising and social media is reversed, replaced by eerily “perfect” AI influencers. 

HOW IS AI IN INFLUENCER MARKETING CHANGING THE INDUSTRY?

AI is advancing astoundingly quickly, forcing brands, marketers, and creators alike to reckon with what this technology means for their industry.

Within influencer marketing, AI has already well and truly made its mark. From aiding with copywriting and influencer search, to generating fully functioning influencers capable of selling products on live streams, AI in influencer marketing has driven the industry to a completely new space. 

For many influencers, this new space of AI in influencer marketing brings with it a degree of fear. A fear of where they now belong. 

With AI harnessing so many incredible abilities, many influencers have come to fear being displaced. AI influencers are steadily climbing in popularity, powered by generative-AI technology powerful enough to write scripts, direct live streams, and reply to comments. 

@interestingengineering

The World AI Creator Awards has announced a plan for a “Miss AI” beauty pageant. Female-presenting AI influencers will be judged on their beauty, technology and influence. “Perfect” AI women have already been controversial in their impact on body image. #ai #influencers #technology

♬ interestingengineering – orijinal ses – interestingengineering

Beyond this, AI can even be used to replicate voices, taking a creators voice and creating whole new projects without their consent. Projects that the implicated influencer has no control nor monetary gain from. 

Recently, SAG-AFTRA came to a deal with Narrativ, an online platform where performers are able to license their own digital voice replicas for ad usage. The deal allows advertisers to use AI to replicate actors’ voices on the condition that performers are able to choose which brands they work with as well as how much they are paid. 

Some creators have been incredibly supportive of AI’s new role and potential impact on the industry. Musician Grimes has been famously open to AI’s influence, creating a platform where users can make their own music using her voice and likeness. Grimes and the creator then have shared ownership over the end product, but the artist can use the music to their wish and generate revenue off of it. 

As such, influencers have begun to take measures to protect themselves against the looming influence of AI in influencer marketing. Yet, is it enough? 

WHAT PRECAUTIONS ARE INFLUENCERS TAKING 

For many influencers, the growth of AI in influencer marketing is a threat they must arm themselves against. 

At present, the most popular avenue for defence is contracts. 

Creators have begun to include clauses in their contracts with brands that protect them against the usage of AI in influencer marketing. Such clauses seek to “future-proof” influencers’ intellectual property, ensuring that further down the line they do not lose any rights to their image, likeness, or content; this is a predominant fear in the influencer community, that they will not only be replaced by AI, but that it can be used to strip them of their ownership over their own property. 

Joy Ofodu, a predominant voice actor, has been particularly vocal about her fears for the future of AI in influencer marketing. Ofodu has begun including an AI-related rider for her speaking engagements. The rider requests clients to not train, modify, or adapt her voice using any manner of AI system. 

@max_tornow_business

Influencer marketing is OFFICIALLY over! An agency has created an AI model that earns up to $11,000 a month. But why would companies even want to sponsor an AI model? ✅ Well, this AI model is prettier than you. ✅ She doesn’t complain. ✅ She does whatever the company wants her to do. If you don’t know how to sell, if you don’t know how to build a business that provides REAL value to people, you’re going to be replaced. And it’s going to happen much sooner than you think.

♬ original sound – Max_tornow_business

All in all, AI clauses are far from the norm, but they are steadily becoming more popular, as more and more influencers are seeking to guard themselves against this burgeoning industry. 

The topic of AI in influencer marketing is part of a broader conversation on content usage and legal permissions. How can we determine who owns what and who can use it? 

This issue came forcibly into light recently due to the “demure” scandal. Jools Lebron, creator of the supremely successful “demure” trend on social media, did not trademark her key phrase “very mindful, very demure”. Instead, several players keen to make a buck have come in trying to take ownership of the trend. These applicants have no relation to Lebron nor the phrase.

The situation has brought up the topic of who can actually lay claim to a trend. Just because Jools LeBron said it first, is that enough to be the official owner? One would think so, but how is it possible to make this ownership legally binding? Where does law stand in the era of TikTok trends? 

WHERE IS AI IN INFLUENCER MARKETING HEADED 

Ultimately, influencer marketing is maturing fast. The generative AI hype is spurring many important conversations, such as who owns content, and where the industry is headed. Marketers are putting money behind creator content and stretching this to brands’ own social and digital channels. Streaming platforms and retail media networks are even being drawn into the fray. 

@shedoesai

Even the girl talking is an AI avatar 😱! Bye bye UGC creators! How to make AI-generated ads for TikTok! @Creatify #creatify #aivideo #aitool #adsfortiktok #tiktokadagency #ugccreator #crazyai #thiswillchangeyourlife #CapCut

♬ original sound – Gunhild Johanne Reumert

As a result, influencers and creators are becoming far more strict about putting a concrete precedent to protect their image, likeness, name and content usage rights. AI adds another layer to this already complex area. 

AI is advancing rapidly, forcing creators to think now and think fast. In the past, brands have pretty much had free reign when it comes to content usage rights, which traditionally could last anywhere from six to perpetuity (forever). 

As influencer marketing has matured, however, this has changed. Nowadays many contracts are typically thirty days.

LOOKING FORWARD

For many, AI is simply a great tool. Something we can use to fine tune our current processes and bring forth efficiencies, allowing us to put more time and effort into the areas that are most valuable; strategy and creativity. 

Yet there is a lot of noise on platforms such as LinkedIn about taking AI’s role to the next level. Many are excited about the potential of utilising AI as a replacement for influencers and pushing aside the human soul of influencer marketing. The most crucial piece, that which creates genuine connections and establishes community. 

@brandnat

Tiktok’s Free AI CLONE your voice feature! #ai #artficialintelligence #aivoice #texttoaudio #tiktok #tiktokai #brandnat #nataliechoprasert

♬ original sound – Brand Nat | AI Automation

Many governing regulatory bodies (for example, the European Commission) are heading for a human centric approach to AI, but many are looking to see how far it can take influencer marketing. With AI’s abilities already confusing consumers (think the Pope in a Balenciaga puffer), concerns are naturally high with just how much AI will be able to confuse consumers. Just how far can it take these darker powers? 

AI is an immensely powerful tool, with dark potential. AI can oppose humanistic principles, reverse all our progress on depicting realistic/diverse bodies on social media and in advertising, threaten transparency/diversity/representation and create an inauthentic depiction of what our lives are like online; and that is just scratching the surface. 

As such, many are urging for comprehensive AI regulation, and fast. 

For brands, consumers and creators alike, a solution (such as regulation) is an absolute must. A line must be firmly drawn in the sand for all to understand when AI is used, who owns said content, and where influencers fit in. 

Yet, a road map to this solution remains unclear. At the end of the day, brands and creators alike should keep one eye on AI, and just how fast it is creeping up behind them.