Gen Z influencers, beware! AI might soon take your job
27 May 2025

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is evolving so quickly that it could put an end to as many as 80% of paid influencers in a matter of months, according to a Yahoo Finance report.

Sabri Suby, the founder of digital marketing agency King Kong, told Yahoo Finance that AI is "changing the game" for influencers.

He said, "30 to 40% of the short-form content that people are consuming now, they're not even aware that it is AI-generated."

AI's role in content creation
Technology impact

AI platforms can now create images and videos within minutes, often looking just like the real thing.

Suby noted that five months ago, it was easy to spot AI-generated content due to lip-syncing technology.

However, he said, "Now a few companies can create these hyper-realistic AI influencers," which has changed the game for influencers.

AI's impact on different tiers of influencers
Tier analysis

The influencer market can be divided into two tiers: user-generated content (UGC) creators and regular influencers.

UGC creators are everyday people with a few hundred to thousands of followers who create content for brands in exchange for money.

Regular influencers have tens to hundreds of thousands of followers and make money through brand deals.

But now, AI influencers have already infiltrated social media, and are racking up hundreds of thousands of followers, likes, shares and comments.

Shift in career aspirations due to AI
Career shift

A report by IZEA last year found that 55% of adults aged 18-60 would quit their jobs to become full-time influencers or content creators.

The study also revealed that one-third of 18- to 29-year-olds wanted to be influencers in the future.

However, if these trends continue, it may be nearly impossible for them to make a living as influencers.

How AI can beat influencers in their game
Impact

Suby said creators and influencers can be "problematic" and "unreliable" because they might push back on certain requests or forget to film the product for several days.

So brands are now favoring AI-generated influencers for marketing purposes. These AI influencers can produce content around the clock, maintain consistent branding, and avoid the unpredictability associated with human influencers.

As a result, companies are finding them to be cost-effective and efficient alternatives.