Artificial intelligence is rapidly gaining traction in many areas of society, including social media. AI has been used for a variety of purposes, including targeted advertising, content creation, image generation, and more. However, as AI capability advances, its implementation becomes more varied. One particularly notable example is the use of AI to create AI personas. Many developers around the world are aware of this and have begun to create their own AI personas that can be used as influencers or "public figures."
Do you think people would be interested in that? The answer is yes. Here's a story about the Zelu sisters, two AI-generated personas created by anonymous developers who are created as sisters and have quickly gained popularity due to their "beauty" and influence.
Who are the Zelu sisters?
Photo by MSN
The Zelu sisters are artificial intelligence personas created by developers with the goal of inspiring people with motivational captions and showing them photos of influencer lifestyles. The sisters are made up of two AI personas named Mia Zelu and Ana Zelu. The Zelu sisters have also achieved fame, with over 200k followers on each of their Instagram accounts and hundreds of positive comments whenever they post photos. Many people appeared to be interested in their content, primarily because their photos were designed to make it appear as if they were on vacation, visiting beautiful places, trying new foods, or simply hanging out with one another. Each photo also includes highly positive or inspiring captions, which help to connect with followers. They also highlighted many stories on Instagram that appear to be posts made by real people. While their Instagram bios disclose that they are AI, the information is hidden away
One of the pieces of content that made them famous and gained traction was Mia Zelu's post in which she appeared to be watching Wimbledon. Like thousands of tennis-loving influencers, the Zelus social media feed is also full of Wimbledon-related content, such as posing at courtside during the prestigious tennis tournament and holding the event's iconic Pimm's drink while wearing a stylish tenniscore outfit. The truth is, they are not real people, and they are not attending Wimbledon.
AI personas are causing a stir
Photo by tennis.com
However, while many of the Zelu sisters' posts receive positive feedback, they also spark debate and discussion about AI, prompting the developers behind their accounts to occasionally disable their comment sections. Some people raised concerns regarding how AI has the capability to make images that look super real, which can cause people to question whether or not the content they see on social media is AI-generated.
The creation of the Zelu sisters and other AI personas exemplifies how AI influencers on social media are causing a stir as a result of new AI tools that enable users to generate realistic images that the untrained eye cannot recognize. There are even marketing companies, like Barcelona-based The Clueless, that are built mainly to develop AI-driven social media influencers. One of its “creations” is a persona called Aitana, a young woman persona with her pink hair and content focusing on gaming. Her shockingly real looks attracted nearly 400k Instagram followers despite her bio stating, “1st AI influencer created.” The co-founder of the company also stated that there were so many real people, even internationally famous people, who DM’d the company privately, either inviting her to an event or wanting to meet her.
Photo by Medium
The development of AI personas also benefits tech developers because they can use these AI influencers to bring them money quickly by simply generating a picture. It eliminates the need for these developers to "work" in front of a camera for hours when there are brand deals or to travel to real-world locations to film content like real-person influencers, because everything can be done using AI.
Is this becoming the future of influencer marketing? Whether it’s going to be the future or just a quick trend, it’s something that needs to be watched. As AI influencers grow in realism and popularity, they present a new frontier of brand collaborations and audience engagement. However, they also provide a huge new challenge, especially since now human influencers need to compete with the unlimited capabilities that AI provides. The question is, can we live in harmony with each other? Or will this be the start of more debates in the future?
