Social media influencers are renowned for working hard, securing their brand deals and promoting content on their platforms.

However, AI influencers are now starting to hijack social media platforms and do the same job, claiming numerous followers and setting unrealistic aesthetic expectations for followers.

School of Computer Science and IT in University College Cork and member of the Government’s AI Advisory Council Barry O’Sullivan said that the people behind these accounts see them as assets to be sold on.

“The purpose here is purely to make money and to create a social media asset that could be sold,” he told Lunchtime Live.

“So, there’s a large following, it’s attractive to people who want to place a product or place a brand, because these accounts have a huge audience – so it really is a business.

“People can create these things with the intention of gathering as many followers as they can over a short period of time, and these then are very attractive to companies who want to market their own products.

“But also, to other social media influencers who want to buy the following of that account so they can continue it on.”

Mr O’Sullivan said the people behind these profiles may also create networks of fake accounts in order to boost their followings.

Getting likes on social media.

Owner of The Platform, an agency that represents social media influencers and content creators Mandy Maher said this technology is “going to be detrimental to anyone that’s in this industry”.

“I know it’s coming into the next generation of our future, but it’s actually scary to know what’s now going to be real and what isn’t,” she sai.

“When you follow somebody you follow them for their authenticity and that they’re real and they’re engaging, but when you see something like this that’s actually robotic, I just think the whole thing is absolutely bizarre.”

Main image: Young woman taking selfie using ring-light. Image: AlessandroBiascioli / Alamy Stock Photo