Brands using AI-generated influencers to promote products on social media

Brands are deploying AI-generated influencers on social media to promote products without disclosing the content is artificial, prompting calls from consumer advocates for mandatory transparency rules. [1] An investigation found companies posting videos and images that appear to show genuine customer experiences but feature people who are not real. [1] Some creators producing this material are required to sign non-disclosure agreements, preventing them from discussing their work. [1] The practice sits in a regulatory gap: the UK Advertising Standards Authority confirmed there are no explicit rules prohibiting brands from posting AI-generated promotional content without disclosure. [1] In the European Union, the Artificial Intelligence Act will require AI-generated or manipulated content to be clearly labelled starting in August, but the legislation will not apply in the UK. [1] Consumer group Which? said customers should be clearly informed when promotional content features AI-generated influencers rather than real people. [1] Lisa Barber, editor of Which? Tech, noted that an investigation into deepfakes found "a worrying 70% of people are unable to correctly identify all the real and fake videos we showed them, meaning consumers could be frequently being misled by AI-generated content and becoming targets for scammers." [1] Examples identified include a photo app called Once, which posted Instagram videos of a bride crying and praising the service. [1] Analysis by cybersecurity firm Reality Defenders indicated the brand likely used AI-generated influencers. [1] A Dubai-based fashion brand, Ashle, removed social media photographs after being contacted; one image appeared to show a woman with an extra finger. [1] The brand said the images were taken down because the designs were no longer part of the collection, not because they were AI-generated. [1] Clarissa Mansbridge, who creates AI influencer images through her Mia Metaverse portfolio, estimated that "40% to 60% of the content out there from some of the big brands is actually being made through AI." [1] She said brands are attracted by lower costs compared to traditional photoshoots, which she priced at $20,000 to $70,000. [1] The broader phenomenon has been labelled "AI slop" — digital content made with generative artificial intelligence that is perceived as lacking effort or quality and produced in high volume to gain advantage in the attention economy. [2] The term was selected as the 2025 Word of the Year by both Merriam-Webster and the American Dialect Society. [2] Influencer marketing has historically relied on individuals with perceived expertise or social influence to shape consumer behaviour on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. [6] The US Federal Trade Commission began enforcing disclosure requirements for sponsored content in 2016. [6] The current wave of undisclosed AI-generated content represents a departure from those transparency norms, with brands commissioning realistic videos that appear to be user-generated content submitted by real customers. [1] Leeds-based artist Zac Rossiter said he declined an offer from a marketing agency that proposed creating an AI-generated unboxing video featuring his artwork, stating he would "never work with an agency that used fake AI unboxing videos over actual, real people." [1]