AI influencers and the changing nature of online trust

by Quiip Team October 02, 2026

Author: Sam Santos

AI influencers are quickly moving from novelty to a more established part of the marketing landscape, appearing in campaigns for global brands and attracting millions of followers. As technology becomes more sophisticated, some are also becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from human creators. But what does their rise mean for how trust is built online?

To understand the rise of AI influencers, it helps to look back at their virtual origins. Virtual influencers are fictional, digital personas created and managed by people or organisations. Early examples were developed using computer-generated imagery, while newer personas are rendered using generative AI to produce increasingly realistic content.

One of the best-known virtual influencers is Lil Miquela, a CGI creation with over 2.2 million followers that has collaborated with brands including Prada, BMW and Samsung. Her online presence helped establish the model that newer AI influencers, such as Aitana Lopez, Mia Zelu, Naina Avtr and Granny Spills are now extending through generative AI.

Like human creators, virtual and AI influencers share travel photos, document fitness journeys, recommend products, and interact with followers. They may have interests, back stories and online identities that seem authentic.

Unlike human creators, however, they don’t sleep, age, or get sick. They don’t miss flights, have off days or cancel brand deals. They can appear in Paris one day and Tokyo the next, speak multiple languages, and feature in several campaigns simultaneously – all without ever stepping in front of a camera.

It’s easy to see why brands are paying attention. Yet AI influencers also raise questions about transparency, authenticity, and the relationships brands build with their audiences. They may offer genuine creative opportunities and efficiencies, but these must be considered alongside their limitations and potential impact on online communities. For brands exploring the use of AI influencers, an important question will be how to do so responsibly while maintaining the trust of the people they hope to reach.

Why brands are embracing AI influencers

For brands under increasing pressure to produce more content with fewer resources, the appeal of AI influencers is easy to understand.

They can offer greater creative control, faster campaign delivery, and lower production costs than traditional influencer partnerships. Content can be tested and adapted for different markets, campaigns and audiences without the time and production costs associated with human talent.

AI influencers may also reduce some of the variables associated with human creators. They don’t unexpectedly become unavailable, change direction halfway through a campaign, or make personal decisions that could affect a brand partnership.

However, greater control does not mean an absence of risk. The people and organisations behind AI influencers remain responsible for what they say, represent and promote. Poor disclosure, fabricated experiences or content that audiences consider misleading can create reputational risks of their own.

For many brands, these advantages make virtual influencers an attractive addition to the digital marketing mix. Whether they’re effective, however, depends on more than just efficiency and creative control – it also depends on how audiences perceive and respond to them.

A woman looks towards a ring light and camera

The trust gap between brands and audiences

As generative AI makes polished content faster and cheaper to produce, there has been a growing interest in experimenting with AI influencers. However, corporate demands for AI’s speed, scale and efficiency do not necessarily reflect how audiences feel about its output.

A 2025 survey by global social agency Billion Dollar Boy found that while 79% of marketers were increasing investment in AI-generated creator content, consumer sentiment appeared to be moving in the opposite direction, with only 26% preferring this type of content, down from 60% in 2023.

The gap highlights an important challenge: while AI adoption is accelerating, consumer confidence and trust are not necessarily keeping the same pace.

The success of an AI influencer depends on more than its ability to attract attention. Audiences may also want to understand what type of content they are engaging with, how it was created, and whether the identity or experiences being presented are genuine. How openly a brand communicates about its use of AI – and how it responds when audiences question or challenge that use – will play an increasingly important role in maintaining credibility.

While content, likes, and views have become the social media commodities of trade, trust remains one of the most valuable currencies a brand can earn. Trust develops over time through hundreds of meaningful interactions between brands and their audiences. And like any valuable currency, it is earned slowly, invested carefully, and easily lost.

So while AI lowers the cost of producing content, it may also increase the value of earning trust.

Authenticity is about more than appearances

Visual cues have long influenced what audiences perceive as authentic online.

Behind-the-scenes content, candid photography, handheld videos and user-generated content have all helped brands and creators appear more genuine and relatable.

Generative AI can now reproduce many of these cues, creating convincing images, testimonial-style posts and lifestyle content that appears spontaneous or unfiltered. As this content becomes more sophisticated, audiences may not always recognise that it has been generated or altered.

Getty Images’ 2024 Building Trust in the Age of AI report found that 98% of consumers agreed that authentic images and videos were pivotal to establishing trust, while 76% agreed that it was becoming difficult to tell whether an image is real. Almost 90% wanted to know whether an image had been created using AI.

For brands using AI influencers, authenticity therefore depends on more than how realistic the content appears. It’s also shaped by how the brand behaves. For brands, that means asking:

Are we transparent about when AI has been used?
Is it clear that the influencer is a fictional identity?

Does the content avoid presenting fabricated experiences or endorsements as real?
Are we responding honestly when our community asks questions?

Are we acknowledging mistakes and engaging respectfully when challenged?
Are our online interactions consistent with our values?

These behavioural signals will increasingly shape how communities perceive a brand’s trustworthiness.

Community starts where content ends

One often overlooked aspect of the AI influencer conversation is that creating content to attract an audience is only one part of building an online community.

Anyone who manages online communities knows that some of the most valuable moments happen in the comments and conversations after a post goes live:

A customer shares a difficult experience
Community members answer one another’s questions
Criticism is acknowledged respectfully rather than dismissed
A brand responds with empathy instead of relying on a scripted response

These interactions rarely go viral. But they are often the moments people remember, and they have a significant impact on how people perceive a brand. They’re the moments when trust can be strengthened or lost through the quality of the response – and by demonstrating that real people stand behind the brand.

AI can certainly assist with content generation and some aspects of community management. But communities are built on human connection.

Ironically, as AI becomes more capable of imitating people, it may also increase the value of the distinctly human qualities it struggles to replicate:

Judgement
Empathy
Accountability
Vulnerability
Lived experience

As synthetic content becomes more common, these qualities may become crucial points of differentiation. While AI will continue to make content faster, cheaper, and easier to produce, human judgement will remain essential in deciding how that technology should be used, how brands respond when something goes wrong, and how to build and manage relationships with communities.

Looking ahead and responsible use

For brands considering AI influencers, responsible use begins before content is published. Many of the questions that guide other uses of AI should apply including: Is the technology appropriate for the context? Is its use clear to the audience? And who is accountable if something goes wrong?

Brands should also consider:

Ethical and environmental implications: Every AI solution introduces ethical considerations alongside environmental impacts, requiring thorough business evaluation.
Transparency: Clearly identify AI influencers as fictional identities and disclose when content has been generated or substantially altered using AI.
Accuracy and misleading content: Avoid presenting fabricated experiences, product usage or testimonials as though they occurred in the real world. Consider legal and regulatory risks.
Context: Consider whether an AI influencer is appropriate for the subject matter. Sensitive topics may require lived experience, specialist knowledge or a human spokesperson.
Representation: Review how identities, cultures and physical characteristics are created and portrayed, including the risk of reinforcing stereotypes or unrealistic standards.
Human oversight: Ensure people remain responsible for reviewing content, monitoring audience responses, and making decisions when judgement or context is required.
Community preparation: Anticipate the questions and concerns audiences may raise, and equip your community management team with clear information about the content.
Ongoing listening: Pay attention to audience sentiment after launch. Disclosure is important, but it does not guarantee that a community will view the use of AI-generated content positively.

AI influencers should not be treated as a shortcut to credibility or connection. Their value depends on whether their use makes sense for the brand, the campaign and the audience, and whether the people behind them are prepared to remain visible and accountable.

The brands that thrive in an AI-enabled world won’t simply be those producing the most content (or those refusing to use the technology altogether). They’ll be the ones that understand where AI creates value and invest just as deliberately in transparency, accountability, and meaningful engagement with their online communities.

Because while influence may become increasingly artificial, trust remains profoundly human.

Looking to explore how AI-generated content or influencers could fit into your social media strategy? Let’s connect and talk about how we can help you embrace emerging technologies while keeping people at the centre of your online community. Talk to our team.