AI influencers are here, and brands are already using them
“This influencer doesn’t sleep, doesn’t travel, and never asks for a fee”
That sentence sounds like a punchline, but it is increasingly a business case.
The German National Tourist Board recently launched an AI travel creator on Instagram, @emmatravelsgermany, designed to promote Germany around the clock. The account has shown steady follower growth, healthy engagement, and strong performance on paid posts. Crucially, it does not feel like a novelty experiment. It feels like infrastructure.
And that is the shift marketers need to pay attention to.
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AI influencers are no longer a futuristic gimmick. They are becoming always-on brand assets, particularly in lifestyle categories like travel, fashion, and sport.
What exactly is an AI influencer?
An AI influencer is a digitally created character that behaves like a creator on social platforms. It publishes posts, Reels, Stories, captions, and comments, often with a defined personality and point of view.
Some are fully synthetic “virtual humans”. Others are digital twins based on real people, licensed and controlled by brands. In both cases, the goal is not realism for its own sake. The goal is consistency, scale, and creative control.
Brands are adopting AI influencers because they offer:
- Always-on content without travel, scheduling, or location constraints
- Faster creative iteration and localisation across markets
- Lower marginal costs at scale
Reduced brand safety risk compared to unpredictable creator partnerships
The ability to build a recognisable character that lives inside social feeds
At their best, AI influencers act less like fake people and more like brand characters combined with a content engine.
Why travel has become the next industry to adopt AI
Travel is one of the clearest early winners for AI creators.
The German tourism example works because the role is clearly defined. The AI character is positioned as a travel companion, sharing itineraries, destinations, seasonal highlights, and practical inspiration. It is not pretending to have personal memories or lived experiences. It is designed to guide, suggest, and inspire.
Travel marketing demands:
- Constant content output
- Repetitive but valuable formats (guides, lists, routes, highlights)
- Localisation across regions and seasons
- Utility as much as aspiration
An AI creator excels here. It allows a destination brand to remain culturally present at all times, not just during campaign bursts.
AI in Ecommerce has already built a number of proven case studies.
Puma: treating AI influencers like a product, not a stunt
Puma has been experimenting with virtual influencers and AI-powered brand characters across different markets. Rather than positioning these characters as one-off novelties, Puma has treated them like long-term brand assets.
The key difference is process.
These AI personas are built with:
- Clear character rules and boundaries
- Defined content formats that can scale
- A production system that allows rapid iteration and learning
This is important. The brands seeing results are not asking, “Can we make an AI influencer?” They are asking, “How does this become a repeatable channel we can operate?”
That mindset separates a PR moment from a sustainable strategy.
H&M and the shift from influence to production
H&M’s work with AI focuses less on influencer culture and more on content production at scale.
The brand has explored using AI-generated imagery and digital twins of real models to support fashion marketing and e-commerce needs. The intent is not to replace creativity, but to meet the growing demand for visual content quickly and efficiently.
This signals something bigger.
AI in fashion is no longer just about attention. It is about speed, efficiency, and volume. Once brands can generate on-brand visuals rapidly, the gap between “content creation” and “influencer output” begins to close.
The result is a hybrid future where AI supports both marketing visibility and operational efficiency.
Are AI influencers replacing human creators?
No. What is happening is a rebalancing.
- AI creators handle always-on publishing, repeatable formats, and brand world-building
- Human creators deliver lived experience, cultural credibility, and emotional connection
- Brands combine both and measure what actually drives results
The most effective strategies will not choose between AI and humans. They will design ecosystems where each plays a different role.
The real risk: not the tech, but the positioning
Audience backlash usually does not come from the use of AI itself. It comes from confusion and overreach.
Problems arise when brands:
- Present AI characters as if they have real lived experiences
- Blur the line between synthetic identity and human testimony
- Use AI to cut costs without transparency or consent
Trust depends on clarity. If an account is AI, say so. If a model is a digital twin, explain the relationship. If content is AI-assisted, define what that means.
Audiences are more accepting than brands often assume, but they are quick to reject dishonesty.
How brands should think about AI influencers
If you are considering an AI influencer, approach it like a product launch, not a creative experiment.
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1. Character
Define the role clearly. Is this a guide, stylist, commentator, or companion? Decide what the character can and cannot talk about.
2. Engine
Build repeatable formats that justify frequent posting. AI works best when it powers systems, not one-off ideas.
3. System
Establish governance. Decide who approves content, how errors are handled, and how AI output integrates with human-led campaigns.
Without these foundations, even the most impressive AI face will fade quickly.
Where this is heading
AI influencers will become normal in three key ways:
- Always-on brand characters in lifestyle categories like travel, sport, and entertainment
- Scaled content production using digital twins and AI imagery, especially in fashion and e-commerce
- Hybrid creator ecosystems that blend human credibility with AI-powered consistency
The brands that win will not be the ones chasing realism or hype. They will be the ones that understand what role AI should play in their brand world and build for the long term.
AI influencers are not killing creator marketing. They are quietly reshaping it.
