Brands promoting their products online are quietly placing AI-generated influencers on social media, an investigation has found, prompting calls for greater transparency.
The findings suggest that companies are increasingly turning to AI-generated content that purports to show authentic customer experiences, but provides no clear indication that the person being featured is not real.
The Guardian also reported that some content creators producing AI influencer content are being asked to sign non-disclosure agreements to prevent them from talking about their work.
There are no specific rules requiring brands to notify consumers when advertising content is created using AI. In the EU, new rules under the Artificial Intelligence Act will begin in August, requiring clear labeling of content generated or manipulated by AI, including deepfake images, audio and video. This law does not apply in the UK.
Consumer group ‘Which?’ He said customers should be clearly notified when promotional content features AI-generated influencers rather than real people.
One example of a company that appears to be using this content on Instagram includes a photo app called Once that lets people create disposable camera-style photos for events on their phones. The brand is likely using AI-generated influencers for promotion, according to an analysis by Reality Defenders, a cybersecurity firm that specializes in deepfake detection.
Several videos on Instagram show brides tearfully expressing how glad they were to use the Once app at their wedding. In it she says: “Everyone was expecting a phone-less wedding, so we gave them cameras instead,” the post was captioned, “The app I used is called @oncefilmapp.”
When asked about the matter, Once did not respond to a request for comment.
In another video, a woman who appears to have been generated by AI says in an on-screen caption, “I could kiss the interior designer who showed me this.” She goes on to show herself using the Maket app, which uses AI to design and plan housing projects.
Maket says, “AI-generated influencers were one of several ways we tested creative concepts and marketing hooks on a small scale before investing in broader campaigns. This is not a core part of our marketing strategy, but rather an experiment to better understand what resonates with our audience across channels like influencers, social media, and email campaigns.”
Dubai-based fashion brand Ashur posted a photo that appears to show a woman wearing its clothes at a restaurant. It looks like the woman has an extra finger. The brand removed the photo from its social media pages after receiving inquiries from the Guardian about its use of AI influencers.
An Ashle spokesperson said: “To be clear, all Ashle items are real garments, handmade to order. We do not sell AI-generated products. Some of our early marketing images used AI during the early launch phase to showcase our designs.”
“The images that were removed were removed because those particular designs were no longer part of the collection, and not because they were generated by AI.”
Lisa Barber, Which? Editor: “Our recent research on deepfakes on social media found that 70% of concerned people could not correctly identify all the real and fake videos we showed them. This means consumers are frequently misled by AI-generated content and can become targets for scammers.”
“It is concerning that consumers cannot trust the content they see online. Companies must be transparent when content is created using AI, especially when it features AI-generated influencers.”
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said there were no rules explicitly prohibiting brands from posting AI-generated promotional content without making it publicly available.
“There is nothing in our rules that prohibits this, and there are no disclosure rules for labeling AI content,” an ASA spokesperson said. “Of course, content must follow advertising rules. For example, it cannot be misleading and must be socially responsible.”
The regulator said the use of AI itself is not an issue to assess when considering complaints.
“It will depend on whether the use of AI gives consumers a misleading impression about the product being advertised,” the spokesperson said. “Ultimately, the question we will consider is not whether the use of AI is inherently problematic, but whether the advertising itself is misleading.”
Former celebrity manager Clarissa Mansbridge, who has also worked with Katie Price, creates AI influencer images for brands as part of the Mia Metaverse portfolio. She says brands approach her because she has the technical ability to create hyper-realistic and aspirational digital humans.
Brands can hire Mansbridge to create entirely new AI avatars for user-generated content (UGC). UGC is a form of content that brands pay to have humans review their products. For example, a beauty company might commission a realistic video of an anonymous 20-year-old applying sunscreen by a pool in Bali. Brands can then post content directly to their own social channels, making it appear as if it was posted by a real influencer.
“I would say about 40% to 60% of the content for some of the big brands is actually created through AI, but a lot of the creators are under NDA,” Mansbridge said.
“If you sign a contract with a brand, they’ll make you sign an NDA that says you can’t talk about the fact that they’re using it.” [AI]because consumer trust is still being built. I call it plausible deniability. ”
Mansbridge said brands are increasingly attracted to the lower costs associated with AI-generated content.
“Brands want high-end photo shoots, but they don’t want to pay $20,000 to $70,000 for a traditional photo shoot,” she says. “Unfortunately, human influencers have destroyed the market themselves. Brands are turning to AI to eliminate issues such as bad press, personal opinions, hourly rates, and photographers.”
Mansbridge said the paid “UGC boom” started about three years ago, “when influencers were incredibly smart about this. They realized that brands were craving content that looked like real, everyday people using their products, so they started promoting paid content that was framed in that style. Brands loved it and paid for it.”
She added: “UGC credibility is always about resonance; [about] Who made it? When content reflects consumers’ real truth about a product, it connects. AI simply offers brands a smarter, more scalable way to reach their goals. ”
The use of AI-generated content that mimics authentic customer experiences is also being actively promoted for businesses.
Leeds-based artist Zac Rossiter said he was recently approached by a marketing agency with the promise of increased sales. In an email seen by the Guardian, the agency wrote: “Choose one of your products. Your artwork will be printed, but it’s up to you. We’ll use our AI studio to generate free advertising creative. Keep it as yours.”
The agency said it wanted to create an AI-generated unboxing video featuring one of Rossiter’s products. Unboxing videos, in which customers open and react to products on camera, are a popular form of user-generated content because they are often viewed as authentic recommendations by consumers.
Mr. Rossiter declined the offer. “I would never work with an agency that uses fake AI unboxing videos instead of actual real people,” he said.
