‘Over-reliance’ on AI risks ‘destroying credibility’ of the influencer industry, says Komodo’s Freddie Strange
The rise of AI-generated characters raises “serious questions” about the future of trust and authenticity in social media, according to Freddie Strange, co-founder of social and influencer agency Komodo.
Freddie Strange
Strange pointed to Facebook and Instagram-owner Meta’s recent move to delete the AI-generated accounts it created for the platforms as a sign that experimenting with AI is rife with issues.
Meta has deleted several of its own AI-generated accounts after human users began engaging with them and posting about the bots’ tendency to go off message and sometimes lie in chats with humans.
Strange believes the influencer industry must take heed of Meta’s change in strategy following a backlash to the characters, as authenticity and trust is “vital.”
“Meta’s push for AI-generated characters is a bold move, but it raises serious questions about the future of trust and authenticity in social media, particularly for influencers. Influencer marketing thrives on the principle that people trust people. Replacing that human connection with algorithmically generated personas risks undermining the very foundation of the industry,” said Strange.
“This shift, however, creates an opportunity. Credible creators, those who have built real, authentic relationships with their audiences, will become even more valuable. As platforms become saturated with AI-generated content, the human touch will stand out as a unique and prized asset for brands and marketers.
“Over-reliance on AI risks destroying the credibility of the influencer industry, turning it into a sea of indistinguishable, low-quality content. The challenge now is ensuring that innovation enhances human creativity rather than overshadowing it. In a world increasingly filled with synthetic voices, the value of real, relatable creators will only grow,” Strange added.
It comes after Content London 2024 delegates heard that between 25% and 30% of content on social media will be generated by AI by the end of 2025, which will lead to a growing audience desire for authentic content from verifiable sources, according to media analyst Adam Cunningham.
The sheer volume of “AI slop” that will flood social media will mean content “curators” will play a significant role in the future of online platforms, claimed Cunningham, chief strategy officer at Allied Global Marketing.
Also at Content London, Meta’s director of global partnerships for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Louise Holmes, used her keynote presentation to emphasise just how quickly the media landscape is changing as social platforms dominate people’s lives.
Generative AI tools, such as the ones being developed by Meta, will further empower creators, Holmes said, by “supercharging” their productivity and allowing them to forge deeper connections with their audience.
Holmes urged those working in the TV industry to pay close attention to these developments and the behaviour of younger generations.
The exec even went as far as suggesting in the not-too-distant future, through the use of its Creator AI tool, which allows users to create their own AI personas for fans to interact with, our “AI twins” could attend TV markets such as Content London in our place.
“It’s a lot to get your head around. This is a unique moment in time when the golden era for content creators is about to collide with the game changing advances offered by AI. This is the kind of transformation that only happens every few decades, like the invention of the internet or the mobile phone.”
