'AI Influencers' Are Taking Over Social Media

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AI influencers aren’t just a weird internet experiment anymore — they’re shaping culture, making millions, and raising serious questions about what’s real online. In this video, I break down the rise of AI influencers: how they started, the different forms they take, and why brands (and bad actors) are investing in them. From Lil Miquela to Nobody Sausage to AI-generated propaganda, this is a Black Mirror–esque world that’s already here.

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* Mia Zelu's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miazelu/?g=5
* Vice's article on AI influencers: https://www.vice.com/en/article/ai-influencers-are-raking-in-millions-while-youre-struggling-to-pay-bills/
* 2018's most influential people on the Internet: https://time.com/5324130/most-influential-internet/
* YouTube cracking down on AI: https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/09/youtube-prepares-crackdown-on-mass-produced-and-repetitive-videos-as-concern-over-ai-slop-grows/


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⏰ Time Stamps:
0:00 An AI Instagram Influencer...
2:49 A solution to human flaws? (& Paired segment!)
5:47 what is going on??
9:40 stolen content AI influencers
12:18 how did we get here??
14:24 the money behind AI influencers
15:50 destroying our humanity?
17:06 what I'm trying to do


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