AI-generated influencers, often using stolen images of real adult content creators, have proliferated on social media, especially Instagram. These accounts monetize their content through links to platforms such as Patreon and OnlyFans, capitalizing on the likenesses of real models and creators without their consent.
The phenomenon, initially reported in April by 404 Media, indicates that the scale of AI-generated content on Instagram has dramatically increased, with the platform seemingly unable or unwilling to regulate or stop this trend. Adult content creators, like Elaina St James, have voiced concerns that they are now competing against these AI imitations, resulting in significant drops in their viewership. St James noted her views fell from millions to struggling to reach even half a million, attributing this decline to competition with "something unnatural."
Alexios Mantzarlis from Cornell Tech conducted a review of approximately 900 AI-generated accounts, discovering that many use videos and images of real creators, employing deepfake technology to swap faces and create what appears to be original content. While some of these accounts disclose their AI nature, many others do not, continuing to pass off stolen content as their own.
Among the accounts investigated, one notable example was "Chloe Johnson," who was found to utilize videos from various adult content creators without attribution. Such practices raise ethical concerns around the originality and copyright of content online.
The guides and manuals emerging for this trend further demonstrate the commercialization of "AI pimping." Available instructional materials instruct users on how to create these influencer accounts and leverage them for profit. One such guide, "Instagram Mastery" from an agency called Digital Divas, emphasizes understanding the "loneliness market," targeting users looking for virtual interaction. Another course, "AI Influencer Accelerator," outlines how to generate and monetize these accounts, boasting of significant earnings via platforms like Fanvue.
Invisible to many users, the creators behind these accounts—often men—acknowledge the discomfort and inequity this presents to genuine women content creators trying to build their brands in a competitive space. The practices endorsed in these guides reveal strategies to avoid detection, including using non-descriptive bios and ensuring that the accounts remain distinct from offered identities.
The overall environment encourages the rampant stealing of real content, affecting many who rely on platforms like Instagram to earn a living. Despite reporting stolen accounts, legitimate creators face backlash and risk losing access to their pages.
While AI influencers might be seen as a novel commercial opportunity, the cost to real creators raises pressing questions about the future of content creation, authenticity, and the implications for social media landscapes as they become populated with AI-generated personas, potentially sidelining authentic human influencers.
