The rapid emergence of artificial intelligence–generated influencers, virtual, algorithmically designed digital personalities, marks a significant transformation in contemporary global media culture. These AI influencers increasingly shape consumer behaviour, cultural aesthetics, identity narratives, and modes of social interaction across digital platforms. This paper critically examines how AI influencers redefine culture and identity through sociological perspectives, including symbolic interactionism, post-humanism, platform capitalism, and theories of cultural representation. Drawing upon global case studies such as Lil Miquela (United States), Shudu (United Kingdom/South Africa), Imma (Japan), Rozy (South Korea), and Kyra (India), the study analyses how AI-driven personas influence notions of digital labour, authenticity, emotional engagement, and social belonging. Industry data indicate a sharp increase in virtual influencer marketing investments between 2022 and 2024, with AI influencers frequently achieving engagement rates significantly higher than human counterparts. The paper argues that AI influencers are not merely technological novelties but powerful cultural actors who signal a broader reconfiguration of authenticity, identity formation, labour relations, and emotional economies in the digital age.
Bhoje et al. (Sat,) studied this question.
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