AI influencers are already reshaping the creator economy, raising new questions about authenticity, disclosure, and intellectual property.
A recent Business Insider article, “Ghosts in the Machine,” explores how hyper-realistic AI influencers are competing with human creators and why many brands and consumers remain skeptical. Davis+Gilbert partner Allison Fitzpatrick was quoted on why human creators continue to matter. As Allison told Business Insider:
“I think the human audience, the followers, are smart enough to know that between an influencer who is human and can actually taste the product or go on vacation and stay at the hotel or fly in the airline, you’re going to take the human influencer’s endorsement far more seriously than an AI influencer who’s done none of what I’ve just described.”
The article also notes that intellectual property and copyright concerns, along with the demand for real human relatability, have contributed to limited interest in AI influencers among many brands with which Allison works.
As AI becomes more prevalent in advertising and influencer marketing, the legal and reputational risks are becoming harder to ignore.