YouTube Publishes New Insights Into the Rise of Virtual Influencers

YouTube has released a new report exploring the growing influence of virtual influencers and the rise of AI-generated or digitally-enabled entities. The report reveals that non-human characters are gaining larger followings than real people online, despite not being connected to an actual human presence. Last year, a sample of just 300 virtual creators on YouTube earned over 15 billion views, with one billion coming from the U.S. alone. YouTube highlights several virtual characters, including Nuero-Sama, Hatsune Miku, and Code Miko, who are categorized as "Virtual Humans." The technology behind these characters is constantly improving, paving the way for even more virtual creators in the future. This presents new opportunities for influencer marketing and outreach. YouTube suggests that brands and marketers should consider the rapid transformation of niche trends into mainstream phenomena and focus on personal relevance. As AI-generated humans become indistinguishable from digital creations, the possibilities for content creation will expand. Similar trends can already be seen on platforms like TikTok and Meta, where virtual characters can sell products and AI avatars of creators are being developed. Although this may reduce the human element in social media, it offers "always on" engagement, personalized interaction, limitless creativity, and more. The report provides an insightful overview of this trend, which will only grow in significance as AI technology continues to advance.