Naina appears on screen like any other young creator — flawless lighting, expressive eyes, a neatly crafted life narrated through microdramas. Only her 374,000 followers know the twist: Naina isn’t real. In one of her posts she writes, “It’s tough competing with someone who doesn’t forget lines, doesn’t need lunch breaks, and doesn’t get cancelled on X… (but) storytelling is big enough for humans and code to coexist.”
Until recently, avatars like her still carried the residue of artificiality. But tools like Google’s recently launched Nano Banana Pro have changed the physics of what “real” looks like online. The model’s latest update eliminates the tell-tale signs, such as the oddly smooth skin, the malformed lettering, the impossible shadows, ushering in imagery so precise that distinguishing synthetic from human has become a losing game.
The appeal
For brands, the appeal is obvious. AI influencers are 24/7, tireless, location-agnostic, and can be rendered in any outfit, language or setting without travel costs or risk of scandal. Humans can fall ill, age, take vacations, or worse, post unpredictably. Synthetic stars do not stray from the brief. Costs come down by a third and time as well.
With realism no longer a barrier, the question is not whether AI influencers can compete with human creators, but how they will reshape the ecosystem they are entering.
“More than a shift I see it as a new category of creators entering the ecosystem,” says Tusharr Kumar, CEO of Only Much Louder (OML). He believes AI influencers offer clear operational advantages. “Brands can scale campaigns faster, produce content around the clock, and streamline time-to-create. These AI influencers can also be deployed across geographies and languages.”
Still, Kumar argues that the human layer won’t evaporate. “The human touch, like improvisation, nuance, and emotional resonance, still drives engagement. But I believe that going forward, we may see hybrid models emerge with AI creators being plugged in for volume and consistency, while human creators drive storytelling and deeper audience connections.”
The question of authenticity is now under negotiation. If AI can mimic imperfections and relatability, does the human advantage shrink? “No, authenticity won’t vanish, but its definition will evolve,” Kumar says. Real flaws, he predicts, may become the new premium.
Economy of scale
Others see a similar divide. “Hyper-realistic AI influencers are reshaping the creator economy by making influence infinitely scalable, low-risk, and cost-efficient,” says Ramya Ramachandran, founder & CEO of Whoppl. The shift, she argues, will rebalance value towards IP-driven, always-on virtual talent.
Economics will change as well. Ambika Sharma, founder and chief strategist at Pulp Strategy, which has its own AI influencer Yukti, says, “The economics will shift from ‘renting attention’ to ‘owning IP and orchestration.’” Once an AI persona is built, she explains, the marginal cost of content plummets. The future is headed to a scenario where brands build their own proprietary AI talent, contracts move from per post retainers to IP, licensing, and performance-based structures, and a hybrid layer is built where human creators license their likeness.
But with control comes accountability. Legal and ethical risks persist. Regulators are beginning to weigh in. “A virtual influencer must disclose to consumers that they are not interacting with a real human being,” says Manisha Kapoor, secretary general and CEO of ASCI, citing the organisation’s guidelines.
Meanwhile, the pressure on human creators will intensify. NumroVani’s founder Sidhharrth S Kumaar predicts brands will soon allocate 30% of their budget to hyper-realistic AI influencers, squeezing mid-tier creators whose value lies in volume rather than perspective. “AI won’t replace creators, it will replace the average ones,” he says. “The future is a hybrid world: AI handles scale, humans handle trust.”