Influencer marketing is evolving, as influencers increasingly rely on artificial intelligence to create content – and the agencies that work with them attempt to balance different types of content with new strategies and tools .
In a new AI study on the creator economy this month, influencer agency Billion Dollar Boy found that 92% of marketers have commissioned content from creators, entirely or partially using generative AI. Creators and influencers are also embracing this trend: 91% of them say they use generative AI at least once a week, according to the study. Yet there is also a growing preference among consumers and creators for AI-generated content over traditional creator content created without AI.
The report shows that 60% of consumers prefer generative AI content over traditional creator content, while 81% of creators saw better consumer engagement on their generative AI content compared to the latter.
“I’m not surprised that consumers prefer AI-generated content,” said Mike Nellis, founder of AI content platform Quiller.ai. “This technology allows creators to quickly develop more personalized and relevant content for more targeted audiences. It makes sense that this type of AI-driven evolution would be more engaging and inspire people to buy our products and participate in our campaigns.
Additionally, 70% of marketers have seen an increase in marketing spend on content from creators using generative AI over the past 12 months. The agency surveyed 4,000 consumers, 1,000 content creators and 1,000 senior marketing decision-makers in the US and UK.
This could become the next battleground for “attention grabbing on social feeds” as more influencers push their creativity using generative AI, said Thomas Walters, CEO Europe at Billion Dollar Boy .
Becky Owen, Global CMO at Billion Dollar Boy, added: “Given the growing demand from brands, potentially higher compensation and increased consumer engagement that currently comes with content from generative AI creators, The 9% of creators who have not yet adopted generative AI for content creation will likely be forced to upskill.
But experts say there’s still room for traditional content from creators, like content that shares their skills, life or personality. AI content is a way to cut through the noise, while traditional content adds depth to campaigns, Owen explained. “We found that the magic and impact of the campaign lies in a balanced mix of traditional creator content and AI-driven generative content,” Owen said.
John Geletka, founder of Geletka+, agreed that both types of content are still needed: Right now, AI content is “an untapped asset” rather than a threat to traditional creators’ content.
“As a traditional content creator, why not take advantage of this innovative technology? » said Geletka. “I think as an agency we need to be open, honest and clear about our process and sources with clients. This includes openly acknowledging the integration of AI into our processes by including such disclosures in our contracts.
The report also indicates a desire to shift investment toward the use of AI content: 65% of marketers surveyed said they plan to divert more marketing budgets from other channels to content from creators using generative AI over the next 12 months. Additionally, 70% said they expect more marketing budgets to be diverted from traditional creator content to AI generative creator content.
Strategies for AI Content
Amanda Ferrante, head of growth at Code3, also cautions that not all AI generative content is the same: When creators use AI for their posts, it can range from filters and audio captions to images and even in the generation of concepts.
“It’s tempting to think that creators press a button and get a new video,” Ferrante said. “But today’s apps are often more subtle: use ChatGPT to generate script outlines or concept ideas, use automatic captioning tools, use Descript to edit a video using transcription , use generative fill in Photoshop to add something to the background.”
Ferrante advises agencies to understand how their influencer partners are using AI in their process – as much of content generation still requires “heavy human input… You need to make sure the creators or marketers on your team have a robust editing and review process to avoid branding. security issues. We recommend discussing the use and process of AI and including guidelines in contract negotiations before engaging creators.
Michael Heaven, co-founder and managing director of digital agency Butterfly 3ffect, also noted that underlying data is paramount in training AI models. Agencies therefore need to be aware and learn how they are used in content production and creation.
“(While) there is plenty of room for AI generation to improve a project’s workflow, there should be plenty of human guardrails to prevent the release of results that could be detrimental to a client “Heaven said.
As the report highlights, a number of obstacles loom as AI content spreads across the influencer space, from changes in compensation and decreasing content quality to balancing the workload of creators and a growing interest in regulating elements of AI.
As Chris Jacks, director of growth strategy at influencer agency HireInfluence, mentioned, generative AI may not really pose a threat to traditional creators’ content — because content enhanced by AI doesn’t make it “better by default”. Influencers who can use AI to continue creating valuable content instead of maximizing returns will succeed in the long term.
“Social media has long embodied the ideology of quality over quantity,” Jacks said.
