The argument about machines taking the place of humans in the labour market has been a longstanding debate that may not be laid to rest in the near future.
This is because, even in an informal sector like influencer marketing, robots, popularly known as Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) Influencers are rearing their heads and ready for a tug-of-war with human influencers, whose livelihood are made off the brands that they influence.
CGI influencers are computer-generated characters that have a social media account and nurture connections with online audiences. Most CGI influencers are built by teams of developers and graphic designers.
A decade ago, the influencer marketing arena was limited only to celebrities and a few dedicated bloggers. But today, there is a speedy rise in the number of social media influencers and they have succeeded in saturating the market.
Meanwhile, computer-generated imagery (CGI) is getting better and becoming more accessible to people who want to try out 3D art for themselves. Thanks to technological advances, CGI influencers like Miquela, Bermuda, and Shudu now exist on social media and the trend is growing.
Although they have been around for a couple of years, it is still unclear why CGI influencers exist, or where the industry could go in the near future.
One concern is that they could take jobs from human influencers. Another is the fact that fake people (CGI Influencers) do not necessarily have to follow the same rules in terms of sponsored content that real influencers do; a loophole brands could use to their advantage.
According to Jamie Love, the CEO and founder of Monumental Marketing, brands probably are not so worried about ethics. He said that pairing up with CGI influencers can potentially be more convenient because it means skipping the human side of things and eliminating errors.
In the marketing industry, influencers can be very difficult to work with, he said, posting photos at the wrong time, not tagging the relevant campaign or account, or forgetting to do it altogether.
It is also potentially a lot easier, to work with CGI influencers because they do not have to be flown out for photoshoots with their hair and makeup stylists.
For now, CGI influencers are a novelty, because it is evident they are not humans. But as technology advances, it may become less obvious. Some media and marketing experts, however, find this concerning.
On the one hand, people who are unaware of the trend are open to being manipulated by a new wave of marketing. But on the other, CGI technology is opening up an art form with which young people can express their creativity in a new and exciting way.
The CGI influencer movement is in its early stages. As such, it is difficult to determine whether CGI has a long-term future in social media and influencer marketing.
