Meet Aitana Lopez, a 25 year-old influencer from Barcelona.

Her bio says she loves gaming, fitness, and cosplay.

She has over 200,000 followers on Instagram and makes over $10,000 per month from ads.

She also has some other “sensitive content,” raking in even more money per month.

Here’s the weird part…

She’s not real.

This Girl is Not Real

Aitana is an AI-generated model created by a guy named Rubeñ Cruz, founder of the Barcelona-based modeling agency The Clueless.

Why would a modeling agency create an AI model, you might ask?

Better question: Why wouldn’t they?

To agencies, AI models are a dream come true.

Aitana doesn’t sleep. She’s never asked for a raise. Healthcare benefits? Pah! She doesn’t eat. She does as she’s told. Anytime. Anywhere. Everytime.

Aitana has no flaws. She’s always a pleasure to work with. No ego. No complexes. No weird personality quirks.

And, forget the drama.

AI influencers (probably) won't say something crazy on the X-bird app, they won’t get caught in awkward public situations, or have scandalous breakups (unless it's with their software developer).

I’m sure you’re getting creeped out. This all sounds pretty dystopian.

BUT…

I embrace the AI influencer future.

But not for reasons you’d expect.

AI is Artificial Abundance… The Good Side

The rise of AI in the realm of social media influencing brings an ironic twist.

As AI technology becomes more sophisticated and capable of mimicking the activities of human influencers, it shines a spotlight on just how superficial, vapid, and replaceable the “influencer” is.

Sure, AI can replicate a personality-less, formulaic Instagram influencer...

But “influencers” will then become as common and boring as animal NFTs.

If you've seen one picture of feet dangling over a cliff or a backflip on a Bali beach, you've seen them all. AI influencers can crank out these cookie-cutter posts at lightning speed.

Why wait for golden hour for that perfect sun-kissed selfie when AI can simulate the perfect lighting 24/7?

Now, the rub…

Yes, AI’s ability to replace humans is very real and will be incredibly disruptive.

AI models can significantly reduce operational costs as they do not require salaries or benefits, suggesting a potential for widespread adoption in industries where automation is feasible.

They’ll also have the unexpected effect of amplifying what it means to be human.

The Great Humanization

Paradigm shifts aren’t linear. They happen at right angles.

That’s why the future is so difficult to predict.

Throughout history, human societies tend to curve in a direction that's not just a mere deviation from the norm but a complete turn, leading to entirely new paths and perspectives.

That’s partly why I’m no AI doomsayer.

As Daniel Pink wrote about in his prescient 2012 book, A Whole New Mind…

As AI takes over tasks that are repetitive, formulaic (like “influencer”), or data-driven, human roles are likely to shift towards activities that require creativity, intuition, revelation, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.

Traits that AI cannot replicate, raising the value of what it means to be human.

In short, AI will make us more human, not less.

AI will never fully comprehend the complexity, depth, richness, and paradoxical nature of what it means to be human.

When the last Kardashian is eaten alive by AI…

Our humanity will be all we’ll have left to contend with.

And it will be more than enough.