Trust and the problem of AI influencers

The recent reaction across the internet to the news that Nia Noir is AI-created has been a fascinating, albeit predictable, watch. The social media model had amassed an impressive follower base of nearly 3 million followers on TikTok alone, all watching her dance clips, trendy outfits and put together aesthetic. It’s no surprise that people felt duped. For any brand marketers contemplating the use of AI in their campaigns, this should serve as a stark warning sign: get it wrong and you risk losing the trust of your customers overnight. 

 

While in this case there are undoubtedly concerns around how AI is setting unrealistic beauty standards, there’s a much bigger picture that marketers ought to be aware of. On a very primal level, people often feel deeply unsettled by the realisation that they’ve been connecting emotionally with something that was never human to begin with. When marketing teams are constrained by the need for greater ROI against diminishing budgets, it could be tempting to explore AI alternatives to influencer marketing: always available, always ‘on-brand’, and infinitely less costly than a human alternative. And isn’t it ‘just the norm’ now anyway? But before jumping to create that perfect AI avatar, it’s worth pausing to weigh out whether the long-term cost of convenience is worth jeopardising customer trust that once broken is very hard to regain.

 

 

The shift in how audiences judge brands

What we’re seeing now is not a complete rejection of technology; in fact most people are already comfortable with daily use of AI tools. Instead, it’s a matter of being uncomfortable with the notion that AI is being used to replace human connection, and the deception from brands that comes with it. Influence is based on judgment and experience, not on abstraction and outside references. People listen to what others recommend because they respect them as a source. For a brand to insert artificial influence into this space is asking people to question its intention and the authenticity of its messaging.

However, a key factor here is that the effects don’t always present themselves right away. A campaign could be thriving, it could be bringing in strong engagement, or it could even be increasing its reach. But beneath the surface, people are becoming more guarded as trust and authenticity decline, making them far less likely to recommend your product or actively promote your brand.

 

 

A boardroom-level commercial risk

Leaders are finally waking up to the reality that the efficiency promised by AI influencers actually masks a much deeper commercial risk. This is not a question of whether a campaign is successful on the surface level, but what those metrics are actually hiding. Engagement, reach and click-through rates can all be strong while the very signals that actually drive long-term growth - recommendation rates, repeat purchase behaviour and price elasticity - are degrading in the background.

 

This is why this has become a boardroom issue. When convenience begins to corrode credibility, the effects are not seen in the dashboards that are built for marketing teams, but in the very basics of brand equity and revenue resilience. By the time that happens, the damage is already done.

 

 

The right AI governance frameworks

The solution is not to disengage from AI entirely, but to use it as a way of amplifying human voices.

 

In practice, this means building AI infrastructure that enables brands to identify, support and scale the voices of their most loyal and engaged customers; those true promoters who already believe in the brand. The technology operates behind the scenes, helping marketers manage reach, coordination and operational complexity, while the content itself remains firmly rooted in genuine human experience rather than being created or shaped by AI.

 

To protect authenticity at scale, brands must also put in place regular reviews that ensure all activity remains aligned with brand values without over-directing or diluting those voices which helps with maintaining trust and clarity. In this way, AI can make brand connections feel richer and more credible, strengthening trust and supporting sustainable customer growth over time. 

 

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Wojtek Kokoszka is CEO of Mention Me

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and Deagreez