Lil' Miquela is arguably the godmother of AI influencers. Launched in 2016 by Los Angeles startup Brud, Miquela has grown from a quirky digital experiment to a bona fide icon with over 2.4 million Instagram followers. She models for luxury brands like Prada and Calvin Klein and has even released music. What sets her apart? She's openly robotic, wearing her non-human identity like a badge, blending activism, fashion, and pop culture with a clever wink to her AI origins. She makes about $73,920 from an Instagram post, states NY Times.
Enter Mia Zelu: the blonde-haired, blue-eyed "tenniscore" fashionista who blew up social media in 2025 after going viral with stunning Wimbledon imagery -- complete with front-row "selfies," Pimm's cocktails, and stylish outfits she never actually wore because, spoiler, she wasn't there. With about 167,000 followers, Mia's rise is meteoric, fueled by her seamless blend of photorealistic visuals, relatable captions, and curated lifestyle drama that hooks a digitally native audience hungry for the next big thing.
Imagine following someone daily who sparkles perfectly in every post, never makes a misstep, and champions causes from leukemia awareness to social activism without ever missing a beat. That's the paradox AI influencers present: huge emotional engagement from followers, despite having no actual feelings or lived experiences. This authenticity paradox is changing how we think about influence, trust, and connection in digital spaces.
Miquela and Mia craft narratives that feel lived-in, vulnerable, and aspirational, with captions like "don't stop. Your time will come." They invite followers into a world where scripted vulnerability feels genuine, prompting mind-boggling loyalty and interactions as powerful as any human influencer.
Beyond their sparkling personas, these AI influencers are marketing goldmines. They never sleep, never scandalize, and can be programmed to fit any brand or campaign without fuss. For companies looking to control every pixel of a message globally, virtual influencers like Mia and Miquela offer superhero-like powers.Luxury fashion, beauty, fitness -- brands flock to these avatars because they provide perfect consistency and can adapt instantly to trends or crises without the unpredictability of human counterparts. Some industry insiders estimate digital models rake in tens of thousands per sponsored post -- without ever needing a paycheck.
The rise of these fantastical avatars also unlocks Pandora's box. Are followers truly aware they're engaging with creations? Disclosures are often buried behind "Read More" buttons, creating ambiguity. What cultural ideals do AI influencers encode when their looks, identities, and opinions are algorithms' choices?
Not always. While Miquela is transparent about being digital, Mia's AI status is often missed by casual viewers, hidden behind nuanced bio language.
Through AI technologies like CGI, generative adversarial networks, and natural language processing, combined with human creative teams that curate their content and storylines.
Issues include clarity for consumers, emotional manipulation, reinforcement of stereotypes, and implications for human creatives.