[Featured image highlights Noonoouri, Lilmiquela, and Imma.]
Key Takeaways:
- The emergence of virtual influencers poses significant challenges to authenticity in marketing, necessitating new strategies to maintain trust and transparency.
- The concept of being “authentically fake” suggests that transparency about the virtual nature of these influencers can paradoxically create a form of authenticity, challenging traditional notions of genuine human experiences.
Influencers emerged as more relatable and authentic alternatives to traditional celebrities.
But as the influencer marketing landscape evolved, it became more competitive and curated, and true authenticity started to diminish along the way. Fast forward to now, with the addition of virtual influencers and AI-generated content, we face even greater challenges regarding authenticity and trust in what we see on the internet. The lines between humans and robots/ virtual influencers continue to blur, and the challenge of distinguishing genuine human experiences from carefully crafted digital content has become harder than ever before.
Who are Virtual Influencers?
Before diving into the challenges of authenticity in the age of AI and virtual influencers, let’s take a step back and look at who virtual influencers are. Virtual influencers are computer/AI-generated fictional characters that engage in a wide range of marketing activities, such as promoting products and brands, just like human influencers. A few notable examples include Lil Miquela, a 21-year-old robot living in LA with 2.5 million followers on Instagram; Noonoouri, a virtual influencer signed with IMG Models and Warner Music Germany; and Imma, a Japanese virtual influencer and model. They attend the same real-life events we do, such as Coachella, and interact with real people. For instance, Lil Miquela shared a photo with 50 Cent at an NBA game, and Noonoouri with Kim Kardashian. These interactions are created by digitally inserting the virtual influencers into photos and videos of real-life events with real people, making it appear as though they were physically present.
The number of virtual influencers is growing rapidly, reflecting their popularity amongst social media users and brands. In fact, a recent study found that over 60% of 3000 surveyed brands had used virtual influencers, with this figure increasing year-on-year. The fashion industry, in particular, has embraced this trend, with brands such as Adidas, Versace, and Vetements collaborating with them in their marketing campaigns.
But what are the benefits of working with virtual influencers over human influencers, you may ask. Beside the fact that they do not require any fittings and that their digital clothes will always fit, virtual influencers are immune to the unpredictabilities of human life. For example they will never get ill, or arrive late at a photoshoot. They are entirely controlled by their creators; this includes their personal values and opinions, allowing them to have a relatively scandal-free presence on social media. Moreover, their creators can leverage big data and AI to analyse audience preferences and behaviours to develop specific narratives that effectively target particular demographics, ensuring return on investment on their campaigns.
The Uncanny Valley
Despite the benefits of working with virtual influencers, a key question remains: how do people feel about them? Enter the concept of the uncanny valley: a phenomenon where human-like objects elicit feelings of unease when they appear almost like real humans. It can act as a double-edged sword for virtual influencers where their hyper-realistic appearance can be both their greatest asset and their main drawback at the same time.
The extent to which virtual influencers resemble real humans is a decision that needs to be carefully made by their creators, depending on their target demographic and goals. For instance, when looking at the virtual influencers I introduced earlier on, Imma and Lil Miquela have hyper realistic features and are intended to closely resemble human beings, whereas Noonoouri has more doll-like features.
Authenticity of Virtual Influencers
At first glance, one might argue that virtual influencers are entirely inauthentic. After all, they are not physically real, so labelling them as inauthentic in a conventional way seems fair. But there is a counterpoint to consider here – the notion of being “authentically fake”. Research suggests that curated flaws and transparency on their virtual nature can mitigate the effects of the uncanny valley of virtual influencers. As people recognise that virtual influencers are curated by their creators, this awareness paradoxically creates a form of authenticity.
An interesting example to draw on here is Coach’s recent campaign called ‘Courage to be Real,’ featuring Imma. The campaign follows her on her journey to find the courage to be real, which highlights the irony of a virtual influencer seeking authenticity. Personally, I find the narrative to be quite thought-provoking as it challenges the traditional notions of authenticity and encourages a more nuanced and novel understanding of what it means in a digital era.
A Legal Perspective on Virtual Influencers
For the argument of being ‘authentically fake’ to hold, transparency becomes key. It must be clear to people that virtual Influencers are, in fact, not real. This is where recent policies for labelling AI-generated content on social media come into play.
For example, on July 1, 2024, Meta introduced the ‘AI info’ label, which is added on AI-generated videos, audios, and images based on the detection of industry-shared signals of AI content or self-disclosure by users. Users can click on this label to get more information about that specific content. This initiative could potentially provide the necessary transparency for consumers regarding virtual influencers that are AI-generated.
To delve deeper into the legal intricacies of these policies, I spoke with Oliver Fairhurst, partner at Lewis Silkin, who specialises in IP, media and advertising. First and foremost, I asked him why the policies that mandate transparency in labelling AI-generated content is important for consumers from a legal perspective. He explained: “content creators are often described as ‘influencers’ for a reason – they influence consumer behaviour. If consumers are not informed of commercial connections, they may be tricked into taking decisions they might not have otherwise taken. Consumer law is set for an overhaul following the passing of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The parts most relevant to virtual influencers, but are also relevant to real influencers, are the prohibitions on pretending to be a consumer and failing to disclose commercial intent”.
We also discussed the primary challenges and ethical considerations that social media platforms face in enforcing regulations around AI-generated content and the use of virtual influencers. The biggest challenge, he noted, is “identifying what is AI-generated and what is not, as there is currently no reliable, scalable way to detect AI content. While regulation might look to control the deployment of this new technology, especially in the ‘deepfake’ context, the technology has legitimate uses, and platforms can find themselves stuck in the middle.”
Finally, I asked about the future of advertising and digital media law evolving with the advancement of AI technology to ensure ethical co-existence with AI-generated content, including virtual influencers, to which he said: “I expect that regulation in advertising and media law will focus on tackling key, identifiable harms such as misinformation, misleading of consumers, and harm to children. The speed and scalability of AI-generated content means those deploying it will need to keep a close eye on its outputs.”
With the broad scope of this topic, a lot remains to be explored beyond this article. What stands out, however, is how virtual influencers are pushing and redefining the boundaries in all aspects of influencer marketing, advertising, and our experiences in the digital world. As we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of influencer marketing, virtual influencers will certainly challenge our traditional concepts of authenticity and trust.
With many pros, cons and uncertainties, campaigns like Coach’s ‘Courage to be Real’ indicate virtual influencers’ potential in this space and the direction we could be heading towards. Looking ahead, it is certainly interesting to see whether they outpace human influencers by leveraging their novelty and carefully crafted presences, or whether the need for human connection and true authenticity prevails!