Here’s what’s on our plate today:

• 🧪 We dive into the rise of AI influencers—is this the future of marketing, or the beginning of the uncanny valley apocalypse?

• 🗳️ Would you trust an AI-generated avatar for product recs, or is it a hard nope?

• 🤖 How to spot a virtual personality (and why you should care).

• ⚡ This week’s must-read headlines from the AI & tech universe.

Let’s dive in. No floaties needed…

The Laboratory

How AI influencers are rewiring the future of social media marketing

When ChatGPT first burst onto the scene in 2022, the online world shifted on its axis. While for many it was a new toy, a means to entertain themselves through conversations and generating memes, for others, AI opened up new possibilities. Users were promised an assistant that would do their bidding, help them streamline their workflows, and take some weight off their shoulders.

As technology has evolved, we are now faced with some real, hard-hitting questions. Will the AI storm result in calmer waters for white collar jobs, or will it unleash the kraken that will make many jobs obsolete? But while the jury is still out on white collar jobs, there is one area that may not be so lucky. Social media may soon be filled with AI influencers trying to sell you things. And though if you are still one of the few who use social media to connect with friends and family, you may have trained your mind to tune out the influencers; however, that might no longer be possible with AI taking over the reins.

Over the years, we have witnessed how social media influencers disrupted the traditional marketing industry, creating an army of living room salespeople pumping out content meant to entice strangers at scale. So, how will automation impact the disruptors? Let us find out.

Why the rise of AI influencers matters

Recently, TikTok announced it was adding capabilities to Symphony, the company’s AI ads platform it launched in 2024. This could mark the beginning of a major shift because the Symphony platform includes a virtual assistant, a video creation tool, and digital avatars that aim to simplify content creation on TikTok.

Symphony functions like a chatbot. Earlier,  users could prompt it to provide different information, such as on TikTok trends or best practices. At the time of its launch, the tool was also slated to be capable of turning text inputs into videos quickly by following simple steps to generate previews that can be edited to finalize the content. It was also capable of helping users make use of pre-built digital avatars for their content.

Now, the tool can be used by advertisers to upload images, provide a text prompt, and generate videos with virtual avatars holding products, trying on and modeling clothing, and displaying a brand’s app on a phone screen.

TikTok’s Symphony: the turning point in AI-driven advertising

The move to make AI tools like Symphony by TikTok marks a bigger industry shift that has had to transition from traditional media to social media influencers in the past. Unlike traditional influencer campaigns, Symphony requires no contracts or negotiation. Brands can upload images, generate unlimited TikTok-native ads and demos, and auto-dub them into multiple languages. All while reducing their reliance on influencers and developing their own low-cost, scalable alternative to hiring humans.

For advertisers, it comes with the benefit of having to pay no fees, no scheduling logistics, and no production time.

Meanwhile, for influencers, this would mean more competition that could result in reduced rates due to the flood of AI-generated content and face the possibility of brands treating influencer-facing roles as interchangeable, commodifying product placements.

Social media platforms are all-in on AI-generated content

Symphony now integrates with Adobe Express and WPP’s Open platform, bringing AI content creation tools into creative workflows used by agencies worldwide. Brands can thus create, edit, dub, and distribute fully AI-driven ads directly from existing pipelines.

Instagram’s AI Studio, in a shift towards automation, allows users to create AI doppelgängers of themselves using customizable chatbots that can respond to followers. The feature is currently limited to the U.S. and may see broader rollout soon.

Snapchat’s GenAI suite also includes AI tools for creating 3D characters and AI-generated outfits alongside chatbots. However, the feature is currently focused on user expression rather than influencer advertising.

Platforms like WhatsApp and Messenger are also rapidly integrating AI personalities for interaction. And while they are yet to reach the popularity of influencers, they are paving the way for virtual online relationships, which could upend the economic dynamics for social media influencers.

Along with the features being launched by platforms, a whole ecosystem of startups has also joined the ranks and could fast-track the whole process of a shift from human influencers to digital influencers.

Startups are powering the shift to AI-generated content

While social media platforms are handing advertisers the means to reduce their reliance on social media influencers, a new business model seems poised for its moment in the sunshine. Social media influencer startups are raising money from investors to streamline the process of advertising.

Startups like AvatarOS, Hedra, Synthesia, HeyGen, and 1337 (Leet) are working on creating lifelike virtual influencers capable of realistic movement and personalized traits using proprietary ML models.  The startups reflect a shift towards the emerging “digital human economy,” a market that is predicted to become a $125-billion market by 2035 and continue to grow.

The human touch still matters, for now

While companies and social media platforms are betting on AI influencers to bring down costs and increase revenue, doubts remain over their scalability due to high computing costs and their ability to avoid the discomfort in users due to the use of near-realistic digital characters.

Tech companies also face the challenge of the next generation’s internet fatigue. According to reports, globally, the amount of time people spent on social media declined year-over-year in 2023 for the first time since the consumer research firm GWI started tracking it in 2012. According to a survey of over 950,000 internet users. Meanwhile, Gen Zers, born between 1997 and 2007, are at the forefront of the shift. One-third of those surveyed said they were actively trying to limit their usage of such platforms, seeking out hobbies and friendships in the physical world instead.

And the rise of AI tools trained to mimic human behaviour is only expected to accelerate the backlash.

AI influencers and the future of social influence

The rise of AI influencers marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of digital marketing. With platforms like TikTok leading the way through tools like Symphony, the content creation landscape is undergoing a fundamental transformation. What once required human negotiation, scheduling, and production is now being replaced by instant, scalable, and cost-effective AI-generated alternatives. Social media giants like Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Messenger are further normalizing AI-driven interactions, while startups like AvatarOS, Hedra, Synthesia, HeyGen, and 1337 are racing to build lifelike digital influencers capable of replicating human traits and engagement styles.

For advertisers, the appeal is clear: reduced cost, multilingual scalability, and creative control. For influencers, however, it signals rising competition and commodification, threatening the lucrative industry built on human relatability and personality.

Yet, this shift comes amid broader uncertainties. The high computing costs of maintaining these tools, concerns over the eerie realism of avatars, and growing social media fatigue, particularly among Gen Z, could temper adoption.

As users increasingly seek authenticity and meaningful engagement, the long-term success of AI influencers will depend on their ability to connect without alienating audiences. In this evolving landscape, the future of influence will be shaped not just by who or what creates content but by how well it resonates in an ever-shifting cultural climate.

Monday Poll

Bite-Sized Brains

• Microsoft tests AI agent in Windows 11 Settings
  Windows 11 Insiders can now use a Copilot‑style assistant to describe system tweaks and even apply them, currently exclusive to Snapdragon devices.

• WhatsApp AI Helper Mistakenly Shares Users’ Phone Numbers

  New AI assistant faced backlash after accidentally sharing users’ phone numbers with strangers, raising fresh privacy concerns over the platform.

• Chatbots Mislead on AI’s Real Climate Impact

  A New York Times investigation found popular AI chatbots often downplay the true environmental cost of AI, offering misleading information on energy use.

• Midjourney launches AI‑powered video generation
  The popular image‑AI tool now enables users to create short AI‑generated videos directly from prompts.

Roko Pro Tip

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