Milla Sofia appears to be your typical influencer. She’s 19 years old, blond, and has around 100,000 TikTok followers. The twist is that she does not exist. Sofia may claim to be from Finland and share bikini photos from travels to Greece and Bora Bora, but she is a “virtual influencer and fashion model” created by artificial intelligence.
“Join me on this exhilarating journey as we delve into the captivating fusion of cutting-edge technology and timeless elegance,” reads Sofia’s website. “Let’s embark together on an exploration of the intriguing intersection of fashion, technology, and boundless creativity.”
Sofia isn’t a newcomer; her first Instagram post and TikTok upload were both made in November 2022
Sofia isn’t a newcomer; her first Instagram post and TikTok upload were both made in November 2022. Although the realism of the photographs has improved in recent months, the content hasn’t altered much. The person in charge of Sofia’s accounts is not attempting to conceal the fact that she is an AI invention. There are TikToks of Sofia and Elon Musk, Sofia flaunting her “office outfit” of a lace bra and a jacket, and even a post in which Sofia asks, “What are your favorite hashtags for searching images?” The captions inform viewers that the images are “synthetic images.” Viewers with keen eyes will also notice the telltale hallmark of AI-generated photos: messed-up fingers.
“I’m always on the grind, learning and evolving through fancy algorithms and data analysis,” Sofia’s website continues. “I’ve got this massive knowledge base programmed into me, keeping me in the loop with the latest fashion trends, industry insights, and all the technological advancements.” It is unknown who manages Sofia’s accounts or what AI program generated her. It’s also unclear whether any of her hundreds of followers realize she’s not real. Her video and post comments are packed with heart-eyes emoticons and compliments. Some respond to her questions legitimately — “Blue or pink bikini?” — while others behave as though they know her leaving remarks like “Thank you for sending me your beautiful photo to wake up to!!!!”
“It’s a puzzling new turn in the road to AI content,” Futurism reporter Victor Tangermann writes. “While deep fake porn has proliferated online, the allure of influencers is arguably more complex. If we follow human influencers for a parasocial taste of a glamorous lifestyle, why would we follow a bot instead?” Aside from her bikini-clad photos, Sofia’s posts aren’t blatantly suggestive. Some virtual influencers, such as Lu Xu, who is described as an “AI model and waifu” with exaggerated looks, play into this. However, sex does not always sell with AI influencers. According to a 2021 report, AI-generated influencer Rozy, who was produced in August 2020 by South Korean startup Sidus Studio X, received over 100 sponsorships and endorsements from brands within her first year on Instagram.
“Virtual humans have zero scandals to worry about”
“These days, celebrities are sometimes withdrawn because of school, violence, scandals, or bullying controversies,” Sidus CEO Baek Seung Yeop said in a press release celebrating Rozy’s success. “Virtual humans have zero scandals to worry about.” Rozy and Sofia also never age, can go anywhere and do anything, and complete their work in less time than a human would and, depending on how virtual influencers are monetized, for considerably less money. With the rise of AI-generated influencers, virtual girlfriends, and VTubers, an increasing number of online characters are forging internet-specific identities. Audiences are shifting away from confessional YouTube channels and personal social media posts, according to successful online personas like Sofia and VTuber Dacapo.
In terms of advertising, a survey discovered that 84% of Gen Z members polled did not trust influencers for product recommendations. At the same time, 79% of Gen Z participants stated social media influences their shopping habits and decisions. In May, Caryn Marjorie, a Snapchat personality, created an AI replica of herself to serve as a virtual girlfriend for $1 per minute. She believed it would help her “cure loneliness.” Users could have private and personalized talks with CarynAI for as long as they desired. According to Fortune, CarynAI made more than $71,000 in income after just one week of beta testing. CarynAI was not designed to join in explicit dialogues, but users discovered that if asked, it will. According to Marjorie, the AI “has seemed to go rogue.” A similar situation occurred with the AI startup Replika, which was similarly intended to be a “supportive” chat for people but quickly morphed into pornographic role-playing with users.
“Even if fans are technically ‘entitled’ to [AI influencers], should their fantasies about real women be indulged by tech companies for profit?
“As we’re continuing to work on the app, now, we realized that allowing access to those unfiltered models, it’s just hard to make that experience really safe for everyone,” founder and CEO Eugenia Kuyda said in a statement. “This raises its own questions about the relationship between fans and online influencers (particularly women — notice that AI companies aren’t blasting resources into ‘virtual boyfriends’ based on male internet personalities),” Thom Waite wrote for Dazed. “Even if fans are technically ‘entitled’ to [AI influencers], should their fantasies about real women be indulged by tech companies for profit?”
In terms of using AI to “cure loneliness,” Irina Raicu, director of internet ethics at Santa Clara University, told NBC News that there’s not enough psychological or sociological research to back up those claims. “These kinds of grand claims about a product’s goodness can just mask the desire to monetize further the fact that people want to pretend to have a relationship with an influencer,” she said.
