With the steady rise of AI technology and AI-powered everything, it’s utterly unsurprising that some people online now have a newfound fondness towards AI influencers. These virtual influencers, mostly women, are posting ‘thirst traps’ to ‘lure’ followers into engaging with their content.
Here are the top four AI-generated influencers on social media who are raking in hundreds and thousands per month.
Lil Miquela
With a whopping 2.7 million followers on Instagram, Lil Miquela is probably the most successful of all AI influencers on the internet.
Miquela describes herself as a 19-year-old robot living in Los Angeles, and regularly shares cheeky updates about her life as a machine living among humans.
“I made some progress at the computer repair shop. I’m feeling 30% more like ‘myself’,” she said in a recent post. In fact, so explosive is Miquela’s online popularity that she has secured partnerships with brands such as BMW and Sam Altman’s Worldcoin. She’s even taken photos with stars like Bella Poarch and Rosalia – how?!
In 2020, Lil Miquela was the top earner among all robots or AI influencers on Instagram, making around £2 million (AU$3.80 million) in total that year. She currently charges around £6,550 (AU$12,400) per sponsored post, so rest assured her digital wallet is chonky.
Emily Pellegrini
Emily Pellegrini describes herself as a 23-year-old “fun-loving girlie” who lives in Los Angeles, US. With over 123,000 followers on Instagram, Pellegrini is one of the most popular AI influencers on the platform.
The virtual influencer regularly shares AI-generated photos and deepfakes of herself having fun, as well as mildly-NSFW content on her Instagram account. However, she also runs OnlyFans and Fanvue accounts where she shares adult content to her loyal subscribers. In fact, according to Business Insider, Pellegrini made around US$9,700 (AU$14,400) in the first six weeks that she joined Fanvue.
Milla Sofia
Helsinki local Milla Sofia, age 24, boasts over 127,000 followers on Instagram. Like Emily Pellegrini, Sofia posts AI-generated photos often, but much of her recent photos are images that depict herself on holiday around her native Finland.
Sofia even has a YouTube account that she’s growing. However, her video content is mostly just compilations of AI-generated photos of herself.
Ji Ji
Across the world in South Korea, a 2D virtual influencer named Ji Ji or “G.G.” is massive on the Korean-language interwebs.
It is unclear who Ji Ji’s creator is, but we know that Ji Ji’s fashion sense and impeccable style has earned her partnerships with beauty brands in South Korea. The influencer has partnered with local skincare giants Innisfree, Mamonde, and Labo-H.
On top of her fashionista life, Ji Ji has also branched out to making music, starring in video games, and creating lo-fi chill playlists on YouTube.
