10 AI Influencers Transforming Social Media

Key takeaways

• The list of top ten AI influencers includes Lil Miquela, Fit Aiana, and Imma.
• AI influencers appeal to younger audiences that value digital-first, experimental content.
• While AI creators offer scalability, cost savings and creative freedom, they raise concerns around authenticity, representation and regulatory compliance.
• In the future, campaigns will likely blend the flexibility of AI influencers with the relatability and emotional depth of human influencers.

What are AI influencers?

AI influencers, or virtual influencers, are digitally generated characters that feature in social media content — just like a traditional influencer. They’re given personalities, aesthetics and backstories so they feel human. Although some lean into being “robotic” for humour or novelty. 

Thanks to tech innovations, today’s AI influencers convincingly work out, dance and "appear" at events. Some could even be mistaken for human, at first glance. 

Why are brands investing in AI-generated influencers?

Virtual creators give brands flexibility because they can instantly adapt to trends and be placed in any scenario at little cost. For example, virtual influencer Aiana Lopez “attended” an Oasis concert in London.

Plus, they’re an innovative choice, which grabs attention in the crowded influencer market. Brands can also create more playful, personalised campaigns. They can "literally" put an influencer on the moon. This creativity resonates with Gen Z audiences.

Virtual creators also give brands more control than human influencers. They never change—unless they're programmed to. And AI influencers won't have scandalous personal lives that harm brand reputations.

But these positive qualities also raise ethical questions around authenticity, representation and the replacement of human creativity.

Who is the most famous AI influencer? The 10 best virtual influencers

Here's our list of ten of the most-followed AI influencers, plus key data, such as engagement rates, EMV and brand collaborations. 

Pro tip: Earned media value (EMV) is how much the buzz generated by a campaign would have cost through traditional marketing channels. 

1. Naina Avtr (@naina_avtr) – 405K followers: AI influencer from India

Platform: Instagram

Interests: Beauty, Fashion, Travel, Lifestyle

Brand collaborations: None during the past six months.

Engagement rate: 9.8%

EMV: Instagram posts: €38.6K, Instagram reels: €50K, Instagram Stories: €1.11K

Indian AI-influencer Naina Avtr was created by Avtr Meta Labs to represent an aspirational Gen-Z lifestyle. The character is a 20-year-old fashion model living in Mumbai who attends fashion shoots, travels worldwide and shares HIIT workouts. 

2. Aitana Lopez (@fit_aitana) – 379K followers: AI Spanish influencer

Platform: Instagram

Interests: Fitness, Health, Lifestyle

Brand collaborations: Lopez has tagged PRIME drinks and beauty salon Llongueras, who "dyed" her hair from pink to brown, in her content. 

Engagement rate: 2.1%

EMV: Instagram posts: €14.3K, Instagram reels: €14.1K, Instagram Stories: €1K

At first glance, Aitana Lopez’s profile looks like any other 25-year-old fashion influencer’s. There are shots of her travelling, on the beach, and retouching her lipstick in a car wing mirror. The Spanish fashion influencer wears leather jackets and crisp co-ords. In reels, Lopez talks into a microphone, sharing her views and opinions. 

It's no surprise that Lopez's character is based on popular trends. She was created by the Clueless with the goal of developing a complex and realistic character. The agency's founder, Rubén Cruz, shared with Euronews that he developed the virtual character in response to unreliable creators, saying, "We started analysing how we were working and realised that many projects were being put on hold or cancelled due to problems beyond our control. Often it was the fault of the influencer or model and not due to design issues.” 

3. Kyra (@kyraonig) – 241K followers

Platform: Instagram

Interests:  Fashion, Travel, Lifestyle

Brand collaborations: None in the past six months. 

Engagement rate: 0.8%

EMV: Instagram posts: x, Instagram reels: €15K, Instagram Stories: €658

Kyra is an AI influencer created by FUTR STUDIOS. Her content includes fashion and travel content with a futuristic vibe. She’s become a recognisable Indian influencer and has even been featured in magazines. However, this influencer has a low engagement rate and a Kolsquare Audience Credibility Score of just 44. 

4. Miquela Sousa (@lilmiquela) – 2.4M followers: TikTok and IG virtual influencer

Platform: TikTok

Interests: Inspiration & Lifestyle, Fashion & Accessories, Photography

Brand collaborations: Lil Miquela created a promotional video for Liquid IV that generated €75K in EMV. 

Engagement rate: 0.18%

EMV: TikTok video: €32K

One of the most famous AI influencers in the world, Lil Miquela, was created by LA-based startup Brud in 2016. With millions of followers across Instagram and TikTok, she has secured high-end brand partnerships, including collaborations with Prada, Calvin Klein and Samsung.

More recently, her content included a photo op at the Video Music Awards and a video encouraging followers to register with the US National Marrow Donor Program. She has a credible audience, rated 74% by Kolsquare. However, her engagement rate is low. 

5. Magazine Luiza (@magazineluiza) – 8.2M followers

Platform: Instagram

Interests: Fashion & Accessories, Health and Wellness, Beauty, Architecture & Design

Brand collaborations: Over the past six months, the virtual brand ambassador has promoted footwear brand Net Shoes, Brazilian ecommerce tech company KaBuM! and Samsung for Magazine Luiza. 

Engagement rate: 0.1%

EMV: Instagram posts: €91K, Instagram reels: €17K, Instagram Stories: €16K

Magazine Luiza is a Brazilian retail company with a virtual brand ambassador, known as “Lu”. She shares deals, campaigns, and digital-first brand stories with the brand’s millions of loyal followers. This Instagram page is for the brand and virtual influencer. But she’s a great example of how to include AI creators on brand social media profiles.

6. Shudu (@shudu.gram) – 238K followers - AI model on Instagram

Platform: Instagram

Interests: Sport & Fitness, Beauty, Fashion & Accessories, Inspiration & Lifestyle

Brand collaborations: Shudu has mentioned AI voices, sound effects and agent provider, ElevenLabs, and digital modelling agency, The Diigitals Agency.

Engagement rate: 0.79% (reels)

EMV: Instagram posts: x, Instagram reels: €4.6K, Instagram Stories: €651

Dubbed the world’s first AI supermodel, Shudu was created by British visual artist Cameron-James Wilson. The AI Instagram influencer's content features striking poses so effective that she’s appeared in campaigns with Fenty Beauty and Balmain. 

However, Shudu isn’t pure AI. Wilson shared with Harper’s Bazaar, "I use a 3D modeling program. It’s like virtual photography, so once I create her, I can kind of pose her in certain ways. I am a photographer anyway, so it’s just a way of exploring my creativity when I’m not shooting." He also shared that he created the model and influencer to complement dark-skinned models, rather than replace them. 

7. Imma (@imma.gram) – 388K followers

Platform: Instagram

Interests: Inspiration & Lifestyle, Fashion & Accessories, Beauty

Brand collaborations: Imma has worked with jewellery brand Tiffany’s and sportswear brand Nike over the past six months.

Engagement rate: 3.05% (posts)

EMV: Instagram posts: €15K, Instagram reels: €922, Instagram Stories: €1K

Imma is a pink-haired Japanese digital influencer. She’s been featured in Vogue Japan and worked with brands like IKEA Japan and Porsche. Imma’s social media posts show her posing at dinner, visiting the laundrette and "attending" events. The content is fun and multi-layered, giving the virtual influencer a human vibe. 

8. Guggimon (@guggimon) – 1.3M followers

Platform: Instagram

Interests: x

Brand collaborations:  Guggimon has collaborated with probiotic drink brand Poppi in the past six months. 

Engagement rate: 0.05%

EMV: Instagram posts: x, Instagram reels: €1.4K, Instagram Stories: x

Unlike the other virtual creators on this list, Guggimon looks like a cartoon character rather than a person. Created by Superplastic, the edgy, mischievous rabbit character intersects art, fashion and gaming. Fittingly, he’s collaborated with Fortnite, where he drops limited-edition collectibles. 

9. Kai Wing (@music._.w) – 100K followers

Platform: Instagram

Interests: x

Brand collaborations: Kai Wing has recently tagged the AI music platform SUNO music and the software company Adobe. 

Engagement rate: 1.89%

EMV: Instagram posts: €3K, Instagram reels: €3K, Instagram Stories: €278

Kai Wing is Adobe’s AI Creator Ambassador. He posts content featuring AI characters in game-like, ethereal settings. Fantastical castles emerge from clouds, a woman sits beside a waterfall, or blossoms fall onto canalside paths. These AI creations are more escapist than aspirational, showing a softer side to AI influence. 

10. Reembot (@ReemBot_) – 2.3K followers

Platform: Instagram

Interests: Fashion, Beauty, Interiors, Travel, Lifestyle.

Brand collaborations: ReemBot was created by digital lifestyle magazine SheerLuxe. 

Engagement rate: x

EMV: x

Reem is SheerLuxe’s AI-enhanced fashion & lifestyle editor, who offers curated recommendations in fashion, beauty, interiors and travel. 

However, SheerLuxe’s launch of its AI editor sparked backlash, with critics accusing the brand of misleading followers, promoting unrealistic beauty standards and simulating diversity instead of hiring real people. The company apologised for poor communication, insisted no jobs were lost and defended Reem as an innovation experiment. 

Reem's content can't be embedded in articles. 

Understanding UK Brands: Why are AI influencers popular?

Here are the key reasons why AI influencers appeal to brands. 

• Lower costs: AI influencers may be paying someone’s bills, but they aren’t individuals who use their likeness to promote products. As AI characters are avatars, collaborations are often lower-cost. In today’s penny-pinching marketing landscape, the offer of high reach at low costs appeals. 
• Appeal to younger generations: AI influencers resonate with Gen Z audiences, who are accustomed to digital-first entertainment and surreal humour, highlighted by viral cartoon trends like Skibidi Toilet.
• Experimentation: AI characters enable brands to differentiate themselves, test innovative creative ideas and deliver campaigns that feel playful without incurring heavy production costs. 

AI influence also aligns with brands that already incorporate AI into their product offerings. 

The risks: authenticity and regulations (ASA disclosure rules)

AI opens up new opportunities, but it also comes with risks. Consumers crave authenticity, and while AI influencers can execute polished campaigns, they’re almost too perfect. They lack the life experience, relatability and genuine connection of human influencers.

There are also legal concerns. Brands must follow regulations when collaborating with AI influencers.

The UK's advertising regulatory body, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), and social media platforms require disclosure for content featuring AI-generated personas.

Brands risk backlash if they aren't transparent. For instance, Shein was criticised for using AI-generated models, including the likeness of Luigi Mangione, who is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. 

Click here for more information about crisis management in influencer marketing. 

The future: hybrid human and AI campaigns

Looking ahead, the most promising path may be hybrid campaigns that combine AI’s scalability and innovation with the authenticity of human creators. AI influencers could step in for experimental, boundary-pushing concepts while human influencers build deep audience connections and solidify brand values.