By Ritesh Ujjwal
Artificial intelligence has had a powerful impact on almost every modern industry, speeding up processes, improving work quality and increasing productivity and has revolutionized the way we live, work and interact with each other. Forbes predicted that the global artificial intelligence market is expected to grow at an impressive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 37% between 2023 and 2030. This growth is expected to propel the industry to a massive $1.811 billion in ‘by 2030. We see this impact on influencer marketing too, where the integration of AI is paving the way for a new era of influencer marketing for brands, redefining production, optimization and distribution of content.
Transformative role of AI: opening a new segment in influencer marketing
AI and ML Roadmap for Influencer Marketing Strategies
The integration of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has significantly simplified the complexities of campaign management for brands, providing AI-powered analytical tools and platforms that autonomously track and optimize campaigns. campaign life cycles. Influencer Relationship Management (IRM) software integration ensures meticulous monitoring of influencer tasks, covering engagement, metrics, content and results. In the past, marketers relied heavily on Facebook’s Open Graph to effectively scout target audiences and instantly identify ideal influencers. However, following Facebook’s shutdown of this feature, marketers faced the problem of murky data, leading to inconsistent results. This shift has prompted the industry to explore alternative strategies, highlighting the importance of adapting to new technological solutions, such as automation and artificial intelligence (AI), to maintain influencer marketing practices efficient and reliable. AI facilitates strategic matchmaking, matching brands with the right influencers based on well-defined success factors. ML acts as a feedback loop, identifying areas for improvement and guiding an ideal course of action. Additionally, natural language processing (NLP) analyzes content sentiment and ensures compliance, while artificial neural networks (ANN) predict optimal incentives and identify lookalike creators, collectively improving campaign reach. Ultimately, this technology-driven approach aims to foster real connections between influencers and their audiences, delivering value through personalized, engaging content.
The Generative AI Approach to Effective Marketing: The proliferation of AI applications has led to a significant transformation in influencer marketing. One such application that has gained immense popularity is generative AI, which allows creators to generate realistic and high-quality content, including texts, videos, and images, thereby enabling them to interact more effectively with the public. According to Statista report, more than half of marketers, approximately 55%, use ChatGPT to meet their marketing needs. Similarly, 42% of marketers rely on Copy.ai, which is essentially natural language processing software that generates social media content and product descriptions, to achieve the same goals. Additionally, AI has ushered in a new era of virtual influencers like Lu do Magalu, Lil Miquela, K/DA and others. These digital entities, created using infographic software, possess unique personalities, functioning effectively as influencers on various social media platforms.
The imperative of authenticity
The growing popularity of influencers can be largely attributed to the authentic and relevant nature of their content. It is therefore crucial to achieve a harmonious balance between human authenticity and AI automation. While artificial intelligence serves as a valuable tool for optimizing workflows and generating data-driven insights, human interaction and personalization continue to act as essential elements that maintain the appeal of content creators to the modern era. The potential impact of artificial intelligence as a creative competitor is a topic of discussion within the influencer marketing industry, sparking concerns that content creators are turning to AI for innovation. screenwriting and marketing strategies. Brands often collaborate with influencers based on factors like organic growth and monetization potential from their followers, making authenticity important. If influencers adopt AI to craft their pitches, the authenticity essential to influencing may be compromised, leading to a loss of trust in both influencers and brands and potentially affecting their livelihoods and financial performance. It is essential to consider the consumer perspective, as user preferences play an important role in shaping the trajectory of influencer marketing. However, a nuanced dynamic is emerging, with consumers showing a preference for both entertainment and authenticity on social media, blurring the lines between human and AI-generated content. Additionally, legal issues arise because the use of AI, both to generate content and to create AI influencers, raises issues such as intellectual property, liability and copyright issues.
Final Thoughts
The emphasis on authenticity in influencer marketing comes primarily from consumer preferences rather than industry initiatives. This highlights the importance of influencers collectively addressing concerns surrounding the misuse of AI on social media. The term “AI influencer” itself introduces a paradox, as it challenges historical consumer demand for the authenticity of influencer marketing. The industry faces the ongoing challenge of balancing technological advancements with consumer expectations to ensure the smooth evolution of influencer marketing practices. While AI has certainly aided influencer marketing operations, the relevant and authentic appeal of influencers continues to be a crucial element that today’s consumers actively consider. As marketers prepare for AI-dominated influencer marketing activity, it is this delicate balance that will drive development and success.
(The author is Ritesh Ujjwal – co-founder of Kofluence, and the views expressed in this article are his own)
