AI generated avatars: Another challenge for parents and educators in the era of marketing
- Apr 7
- 3 min read
By Miguel González
In recent years, we’ve seen how AI generated influencers have taken over Instagram, Tik-Tok, and the rest of social media. These act as an ordinary influencer, but instead of flesh and bones, they’re made of up of complex algorithms. What do they offer and why are users and viewers so attracted to them even though they know these celebrities are not real people? What does it mean for businesses?
Shudu, Lil Miquela, Emily Pellegrini, all these “people” have one thing in common: they were born, designed and created inside an office, by marketers and programmers. Why are these so interesting for brands? Because they never age, they never ask for a leave, there’s no schedule conflicts and they basically do everything they are asked for.
Even though these personas are unquestionably profitable, there are still certain ethical issues around them. Are they positive to an ever impersonal society? Are they imposing unrealistic standards to youngsters? Are people aware that those are not real people? Are they spreading the right messages? How will they evolve?
From the follower point of view, it’s not that weird that these influencers have millions of followers, they are specifically designed to attract people. They never screw up, they can’t get caught doing anything wrong, they are basically perfect. More like as a person, followers normally take these personalities as fiction characters. They can feel represented by AI generated influencers as much as they do by TV shows’ characters. Also, following these accounts make social media users feel part of the crowd, as they are part of a historical and technological shift. If most people can feel sad, happy or angry at any character in a movie, they sure can feel the same way for characters displayed on social media. Engagement rate is surprisingly high!
However, from a theoretical point of view, these AI influencers represent how the concept of identity is changing. In a world full of avatars and Instagram filters, most people won’t care about an Youtuber not being real. Is this sane and healthy? Should we try and change a world where impersonality becomes the norm? Should we let young people engage with manufactured personas? Is this the legacy we want to leave them?
Adolescence has always been about discovering who we are, finding our tribe and creating an identity that even if changes over time, it does it naturally. AI generated celebrities are sculpted by code, they speak through scripts, and they act according to a well-defined strategical plan designed by marketing executives and behavioural models. Are we spreading unconsciously this message to the world? That identity is something you create to comply to certain expectations and external approval? Is identity a product? Do we want it to be a product? Did we go too far when it comes to parasocial relationships? Yes, if you ask me.
Why do we let social media platforms set these standards to our children? Do kids these days know they can fail and still be valid? Do they know that they can be imperfect? Are they learning how to bond properly?
As a marketer, I could boast about how profitable AI generated influencers are, for sure. And I could possibly open a conversation in my department about the possibility of launching our own influencer to help us sell our product fast. Notwithstanding, I rather think of what we can do to stop all this nonsense:
Increase digital literacy around you: don’t let people think these celebrities are worthy of admiration; they are a product, and it’s time we start treating them like such.
Be a safe space for imperfection: embrace contradiction and fail; it’s part of a natural development.
Encourage your closest friends and relatives to curate their digital environment; make them think about why they follow certain account and profiles and make them question whether they should unfollow certain AI personas or cut them out.
Families and educators must take control again on teaching kids on real values, self-worth, exploring and being real more than artificial.
If you work for a big brand and you have no other option than playing their game, please:
Be transparent: tag your publications as AI generated and be sure you don’t let your followers think a character is real. Transparency creates awareness.
Be responsible when it comes to what your message is.
Polish your AI avatars so they have a positive impact on society rather than focusing on sales and profit.
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