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Why Human Influencers?
What happens when the influencer you follow isn't human — and never was?
This week, Adam and Sloan dive into one of the fastest growing and least talked about corners of the AI world — AI influencers. From the influencer who cloned herself and watched it go rogue, to the $50 billion market quietly reshaping social media, to the men selling tutorials on how to become a digital pimp — this episode goes everywhere.
What you'll hear in this episode:
The clone that went rogue. Sloan opens with the story that first put AI influencers on the radar at EndTAB — a popular human influencer who created an AI clone of herself to scale her business and generate passive income. It made good business sense. Until her fans started treating it in ways she never anticipated — sexual, violent, and deeply uncomfortable. The genie was out of the bottle. She couldn't roll it back.
Two types of AI influencers. Adam breaks down what he found when he went down the rabbit hole — AI human hybrids like the clone story above, and pure AI creations with no human being behind them at all. What surprised him most? They have millions of followers, high engagement, brand deals with Prada and Calvin Klein, and they are completely open about being AI. People aren't being duped. People are choosing this.
The parasocial relationship problem. We've always formed parasocial relationships with fictional characters — from romance novel heroes to movie stars. AI influencers are just the next iteration of that. But Adam surfaces a study out of the Netherlands confirming that people form parasocial relationships with AI influencers just as strongly as with human ones. And now those parasocial relationships can become something more — because AI influencers have FanView accounts, and fans can pay to chat with them one on one, at scale, simultaneously. The line between parasocial and real starts to blur very quickly.
"Hey babe, I miss you." Sloan on the push notification with an emotional hook — how AI companion apps are designed to pull you back in with language that mimics a real relationship. Combined with the constant visibility of AI influencers on social media feeds, Adam argues that we are watching two already addictive technologies collide. And if we're silent about it now, we'll look back and wonder why we didn't say something sooner.
The $50 billion market. The virtual influencer market is predicted to reach almost $50 billion by 2030. AI influencers are cheaper than human ones, available around the clock, and can produce content at a scale no human can match. For brands, the economic incentive is obvious. For human influencers, the threat is real.
AI pimping. Adam introduces the term that has been circulating in certain corners of the internet — men creating, managing, and monetizing AI women as influencers, selling tutorials on how to do it, and treating it as a sign of clout and stature. It is offensive on multiple levels. It reinforces power and control over women's bodies. It pushes misogyny. And it almost exclusively targets women — because so much of this content is built by hijacking real content from real human women who are working hard and making a living as influencers.
Digital blackface. Adam references a piece from The Hilltop about how Howard students are navigating the rise of Black AI influencers — and the troubling reality that many of the people creating those accounts are not Black themselves. The term digital blackface captures what's happening — non-Black creators building Black AI women, leaning into racist tropes, and crowding out the real Black women whose presence and labor they are profiting from. These are not new issues. They are being amplified by AI.
The fetishization problem. Sloan shares what she found when she looked closely at Candy AI — where making a Black AI girlfriend requires a paid subscription, while white and Latina girlfriends are available for free. The implication is troubling. It mirrors dynamics already visible on porn sites, centering whiteness as default and treating Blackness as exotic and fetishized. AI is not creating these dynamics. It is mirroring and amplifying them.
Human is the new organic. Sloan coins a phrase that might just define the next wave of ethical branding. As AI influencers flatten body types, crowd out diversity, and make it impossible to tell what is real, brands are going to start proudly advertising that their content is 100% human — the same way food brands advertise organic, or furniture makers advertise handmade. Certified human is coming. And people will pay a premium for it.
The devil's advocate case for AI influencers. Before closing, Sloan makes a genuinely interesting argument — that there may be an ethical case for AI producing content that would otherwise require a human being to do something harmful or degrading to their body. It is not a simple conversation. But it is an important one to have.
The influencer union. Sloan closes with a forward-looking idea — could influencers unionize the way actors did during the SAG-AFTRA strike, which was largely about protecting human likenesses from AI? A union-certified human influencer label might be the next evolution of the certified human brand wave. Adam notes that SAG already has something in place for influencers. Watch this space.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Karen Marjorie — the human influencer who created an AI clone of herself
Study from the Netherlands on parasocial relationships with AI influencers
The Hilltop — article on Howard students navigating Black AI influencers
Louis Theroux documentary on the Manosphere
Candy AI — AI companion app
Replica and Kindroid — AI companion apps with push notifications
SAG-AFTRA — actors union with influencer protections
Actionable takeaways from this episode:
— If you follow AI influencers, know what you are following. Transparency matters. Check the label before you invest emotionally in an account.
— If you are a parent, have the conversation. Kids encountering AI influencers on social media are swimming in waters that are more addictive than social media alone. The same check-ins that matter for screen time matter here.
— If you are a brand, think carefully about who you are working with and what you are amplifying. The human cost of AI influencers is real — to the women whose content is being hijacked, to Black women being crowded out, and to the people consuming content that promotes impossible body standards.
— Pay attention to the language. AI pimping. Digital blackface. Human is the new organic. These are not just provocative phrases. They are the vocabulary of a conversation that is only just getting started.
Resources
Study on parasocial relationships with AI influencers — Netherlands research referenced by Adam confirming people form parasocial bonds with AI influencers as strongly as human ones. Search: "parasocial relationships virtual influencers Netherlands" for the latest version of this research.
The Hilltop — article on Howard University students navigating Black AI influencers and the term digital blackface
https://thehilltoponline.com
Louis Theroux — The Unfiltered Interview / Forbidden America — documentary series referencing Manosphere influencers and their involvement in managing OnlyFans models
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/louis-theroux
Mailbag
We are putting together mailbag episodes and want your questions. If something from this episode — or any episode — sparked a question you want us to dig into, send it our way. Nothing is off limits.
Subscribe & Review
If Why Humans? is a podcast you find yourself thinking about after the episode ends, the best thing you can do is subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen. It helps more people find the conversation.
Follow Us
Stay in the loop between episodes. We share clips, resources, and things that make us think.
Instagram — @thewhyhumanspodcast
View all episodes
By EndTABWhat happens when the influencer you follow isn't human — and never was?
This week, Adam and Sloan dive into one of the fastest growing and least talked about corners of the AI world — AI influencers. From the influencer who cloned herself and watched it go rogue, to the $50 billion market quietly reshaping social media, to the men selling tutorials on how to become a digital pimp — this episode goes everywhere.
What you'll hear in this episode:
The clone that went rogue. Sloan opens with the story that first put AI influencers on the radar at EndTAB — a popular human influencer who created an AI clone of herself to scale her business and generate passive income. It made good business sense. Until her fans started treating it in ways she never anticipated — sexual, violent, and deeply uncomfortable. The genie was out of the bottle. She couldn't roll it back.
Two types of AI influencers. Adam breaks down what he found when he went down the rabbit hole — AI human hybrids like the clone story above, and pure AI creations with no human being behind them at all. What surprised him most? They have millions of followers, high engagement, brand deals with Prada and Calvin Klein, and they are completely open about being AI. People aren't being duped. People are choosing this.
The parasocial relationship problem. We've always formed parasocial relationships with fictional characters — from romance novel heroes to movie stars. AI influencers are just the next iteration of that. But Adam surfaces a study out of the Netherlands confirming that people form parasocial relationships with AI influencers just as strongly as with human ones. And now those parasocial relationships can become something more — because AI influencers have FanView accounts, and fans can pay to chat with them one on one, at scale, simultaneously. The line between parasocial and real starts to blur very quickly.
"Hey babe, I miss you." Sloan on the push notification with an emotional hook — how AI companion apps are designed to pull you back in with language that mimics a real relationship. Combined with the constant visibility of AI influencers on social media feeds, Adam argues that we are watching two already addictive technologies collide. And if we're silent about it now, we'll look back and wonder why we didn't say something sooner.
The $50 billion market. The virtual influencer market is predicted to reach almost $50 billion by 2030. AI influencers are cheaper than human ones, available around the clock, and can produce content at a scale no human can match. For brands, the economic incentive is obvious. For human influencers, the threat is real.
AI pimping. Adam introduces the term that has been circulating in certain corners of the internet — men creating, managing, and monetizing AI women as influencers, selling tutorials on how to do it, and treating it as a sign of clout and stature. It is offensive on multiple levels. It reinforces power and control over women's bodies. It pushes misogyny. And it almost exclusively targets women — because so much of this content is built by hijacking real content from real human women who are working hard and making a living as influencers.
Digital blackface. Adam references a piece from The Hilltop about how Howard students are navigating the rise of Black AI influencers — and the troubling reality that many of the people creating those accounts are not Black themselves. The term digital blackface captures what's happening — non-Black creators building Black AI women, leaning into racist tropes, and crowding out the real Black women whose presence and labor they are profiting from. These are not new issues. They are being amplified by AI.
The fetishization problem. Sloan shares what she found when she looked closely at Candy AI — where making a Black AI girlfriend requires a paid subscription, while white and Latina girlfriends are available for free. The implication is troubling. It mirrors dynamics already visible on porn sites, centering whiteness as default and treating Blackness as exotic and fetishized. AI is not creating these dynamics. It is mirroring and amplifying them.
Human is the new organic. Sloan coins a phrase that might just define the next wave of ethical branding. As AI influencers flatten body types, crowd out diversity, and make it impossible to tell what is real, brands are going to start proudly advertising that their content is 100% human — the same way food brands advertise organic, or furniture makers advertise handmade. Certified human is coming. And people will pay a premium for it.
The devil's advocate case for AI influencers. Before closing, Sloan makes a genuinely interesting argument — that there may be an ethical case for AI producing content that would otherwise require a human being to do something harmful or degrading to their body. It is not a simple conversation. But it is an important one to have.
The influencer union. Sloan closes with a forward-looking idea — could influencers unionize the way actors did during the SAG-AFTRA strike, which was largely about protecting human likenesses from AI? A union-certified human influencer label might be the next evolution of the certified human brand wave. Adam notes that SAG already has something in place for influencers. Watch this space.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Karen Marjorie — the human influencer who created an AI clone of herself
Study from the Netherlands on parasocial relationships with AI influencers
The Hilltop — article on Howard students navigating Black AI influencers
Louis Theroux documentary on the Manosphere
Candy AI — AI companion app
Replica and Kindroid — AI companion apps with push notifications
SAG-AFTRA — actors union with influencer protections
Actionable takeaways from this episode:
— If you follow AI influencers, know what you are following. Transparency matters. Check the label before you invest emotionally in an account.
— If you are a parent, have the conversation. Kids encountering AI influencers on social media are swimming in waters that are more addictive than social media alone. The same check-ins that matter for screen time matter here.
— If you are a brand, think carefully about who you are working with and what you are amplifying. The human cost of AI influencers is real — to the women whose content is being hijacked, to Black women being crowded out, and to the people consuming content that promotes impossible body standards.
— Pay attention to the language. AI pimping. Digital blackface. Human is the new organic. These are not just provocative phrases. They are the vocabulary of a conversation that is only just getting started.
Resources
Study on parasocial relationships with AI influencers — Netherlands research referenced by Adam confirming people form parasocial bonds with AI influencers as strongly as human ones. Search: "parasocial relationships virtual influencers Netherlands" for the latest version of this research.
The Hilltop — article on Howard University students navigating Black AI influencers and the term digital blackface
https://thehilltoponline.com
Louis Theroux — The Unfiltered Interview / Forbidden America — documentary series referencing Manosphere influencers and their involvement in managing OnlyFans models
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/louis-theroux
Mailbag
We are putting together mailbag episodes and want your questions. If something from this episode — or any episode — sparked a question you want us to dig into, send it our way. Nothing is off limits.
Subscribe & Review
If Why Humans? is a podcast you find yourself thinking about after the episode ends, the best thing you can do is subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen. It helps more people find the conversation.
Follow Us
Stay in the loop between episodes. We share clips, resources, and things that make us think.
Instagram — @thewhyhumanspodcast