Trust is collapsing in leaders, in media, in brands. Now, AI is adding a whole new layer of confusion. When even influencers can be artificially created, how do audiences know who to believe? Ahead of their sessions at Prolific North Live, which returns to Manchester this week, Democracy PR’s senior influencer manager Collette Reid lifts the lid on what’s next for trust in marketing.
Trust is on the floor
Trust in governments, trust in business, trust in media… trust in people.
Edelman’s 2025 Trust Barometer puts this down to the public developing a sense of grievance that institutions are not acting in their interest. That businesses are not acting ethically or properly, that politicians are all the same, that the media pumps out fake news.
In this landscape of apathy, scepticism and rising anger, a new and potentially dangerous factor has come into play – AI.
Brands have built up their use of social influencers as storytellers, advocates and even direct sellers to replace the trusted role that media and advertising used to fully occupy.
However, when you cannot easily or quickly distinguish if the person you’re looking at on screen is real or a computer-generated image, how does the public know who to trust any longer? And what does this mean for the future of influencer marketing?
AI influencers are already out there
To give this some context, let’s take a step back. This is important stuff. The UK is a comparatively mature influencer market. IMARC Group estimates that it’s worth £1.78 billion in the UK this year, predicting growth to £18.26 billion by 2033. And what’s more, ad spend is predicted to increase in the next four years by 39.8%.
On average, marketers are allocating 25% of their marketing budgets to influencers and 48% of 18- to 29-year-olds already follow an AI or virtual influencer. So the stakes are high.
From a brand perspective, there are several upsides to engaging an AI influencer, as opposed to a real human one.
The AI-generated influencers are consistent in appearance and tone, they can fit to any brand’s schedule, will never be subject to any of the human frailties that can affect us mere mortals, won’t engage in any outside controversies – oh, and they’re cheaper too!
That’s why names like Lil Miquela, Imma and Lu do Magalu are being snapped up by global brands such as IKEA, Samsung and Burger King for social campaigns. In 2024 Lu do Magalu had more than 6 million followers and earnt an estimated $33,000 per Instagram post (AIT News Desk, 2024) and in just six months, Lil Miquela was sponsored by 60 brands.
Consumers are more open to engaging with AI influencers than we might expect. A peer-reviewed study by Kings College found that people are equally happy to follow an AI or human influencer and that the level of personalisation is similar in either case. This was especially true of those who have a high need for ‘uniqueness’.
Brands that have been early adopters of AI-generated influencers have certainly been grabbing the headlines. It is an approach that has been enthusiastically embraced by brands, particularly in the luxury and fashion sectors, including BMW, Calvin Klein and Prada.
Trust signals
However, consumers, especially younger ones, are purportedly constantly seeking authenticity above all else.
An AI influencer cannot interact in the same way, cannot walk in-store, cannot use the same humour, nuance, experience or emotion.
An AI influencer cannot mix up their brand content with snapshots of real life – doing chores, going for a hike, going for a meal, taking the dog for a walk!
The Drum recently reported that 92% of consumers trust individuals, even strangers, more than branded content.
This is at the heart of the argument – how can you trust something that isn’t real? Surely this is the ultimate branded content. Without knowing who the puppet-master is, many would argue that establishing trust is impossible.
Risk behind the glitz
While it’s arguable that an AI influencer is easier to control than the human equivalent, let’s stop for a moment to consider who is behind these AI-generated personas. What are their motivations and ethics? These could be the keyboard warriors of the future – just with a pretty face..
Fortunately, the industry is already making moves to self-regulate. Earlier this year, The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity saw Brazilian agency DM9 stripped of its award for using AI-generated and manipulated footage to bolster its winning entry. To protect the integrity of the awards, the much-respected organisation has subsequently revised its policies to strengthen transparency and enforce AI disclosure – certainly a taste of things to come.
Heading into 2026
What should brand owners and marketers consider as we plan for the new year?
Come along to see a fascinating panel discussion at Prolific North Live on Thursday to find out. A stellar line-up of experts will be discussing the current issues we’re facing as marketers and what we all need to plan for as we head into a new year.
Graham McGilliard, strategic comms director and ex-national news journalist, will host the session at 1.20pm on the Trendsetters stage. He will be joined by real-life influencer Sophie Got Sleeved whose body-positivity ethos has attracted over 91k followers on Instagram and TikTok, David Edmundson-Bird, faculty lead for AI at Manchester Metropolitan University responsible for developing policy and good practice embedding the use and practice of Digital and AI in teaching, research and business engagement and Collette Reid, senior influencer manager at Democracy who leads the agencies’ influencer campaigns.
If you can’t wait that long and want to discuss your influencer needs for 2026, contact Collette Reid, Democracy’s Senior Influencer Manager at [email protected] or call 0161 881 5941. Or you can register for a free review to find out if your influencer strategy is really making the right impact with our Influencer Audit.
