The Rise of AI Influencers: Meeting Competition with Digital Beings

Sat Dec 27 2025 14:17:41 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Meet Gigi, the AI influencer created by Simone Mckenzie, who's redefining social media with absurdity and speed, challenging traditional human influencers like Kaaviya Sambasivam.

As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, AI influencers like Gigi, created by Simone Mckenzie, are quickly making waves in social media, providing competition for traditional influencers. With the ability to generate content rapidly and at lower costs, AI influencers are revolutionizing the influencer market, prompting discussions about ethics and the future of online fame.

The Rise of AI Influencers: Meeting Competition with Digital Beings

In some ways, Gigi is like any other young social media influencer. With perfect hair and makeup, she logs on and talks to her fans, sharing clips of her eating, doing skincare, and applying makeup. However, she isn't real; Gigi is an AI creation of 21-year-old Simone Mckenzie, who needed to make some money over the summer.

After weeks of successful engagement, Gigi swiftly garnered millions of views, making Mckenzie significant earnings through TikTok's creator fund. Experts say this genre, dubbed AI slop by critics, is dominating social media.

As human influencers like Kaaviya Sambasivam, who has 1.3 million followers, spend significant time creating content, AI creators like Gigi can produce videos in mere moments, challenging the very foundation of influencer culture.

Traditional Influencers Being Pushed Out?

The influencing industry, now valued at over $250 billion, poses a stark challenge for traditional influencers, as AI creators promise speed and cost-efficiency without the same time-consuming constraints. Mckenzie expresses that creating Gigi allowed her to bypass the traditional influencer hurdles, stating, It definitely makes it easier that you can just pick whatever background you want with AI. Meanwhile, Sambasivam laments the struggle to compete with algorithms that can churn out appealing content at unparalleled speeds.

Real Life on AI Videos

The evolution of AI in content creation started with simple prompts entered into AI chatbots, leading to a surge in hyper-realistic videos that can easily blur the lines of reality. Despite the chaos, this technological capability offers audiences new narratives and visually kinetic experiences.

Will Anyone Know the Difference?

As Gigi engages with audiences, she playfully challenges perceptions while evoking a sense of surrealism that captures attention. Yet, the implications of such digital beings raise ethical concerns, especially regarding misinformation and how easily audiences can be misled.

The lines between reality and AI-generated content continue to erode, prompting discussions on the future of digital culture, audience perception, and potential repercussions. As AI influencers proliferate, the landscape of social media is undeniably shifting, raising questions about authenticity, creativity, and the essence of connecting in a digital age.