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In graphic detail: How AI is going to shape influencer marketing next year
For better or worse, AI is changing the industry, which means even influencer marketing and creators are going to have to adapt.
Which is why Digiday has charted what influencer marketing is expected to look like next year, how creators expect it to transform their landscape and whether or not consumers are really on board with any of it.
Marketers are open to influencer marketing operations becoming automated with AI
We saw the industry in uproar over the numerous headlines back in summer about Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg stating that by the end of 2026, the full ad process will be automated. But it turns out, a number of marketers actually think creator marketing operations should be automated too.
In fact, 35% of brands and 51% of industry leaders responded with “strongly agree” when asked if they are in favour of fully automating influencer marketing with AI, according to CreatorIQ’s The State of Creator Marketing 2025-2026 report. A further 34% of brands and 36% of industry leaders said they somewhat agree with the statement.
On the flip side, only 6% of brands and 1% of industry leaders “strongly disagree” that influencer marketing should be fully automated with AI.
Most marketers have no intention of diving in with virtual influencers, creator clones or avatars next year
While AI does have a place, it doesn’t mean it should replace everything when it comes to influencer marketing.
When marketers were asked about their influencer marketing plans in 2026, only 9% said they are planning to partner with virtual influencers, while only 2% said they intend on creating their own avatars, and partner with a digital clone of a creator, according to Linqia’s 2026 State of Influencer Marketing report. Unsurprisingly, the majority (89%) of respondents said they aren’t planning to adopt or do any of the above options next year.
Creators expect AI to continue to transform the industry over the next couple of years
Similar to marketers, a lot of creators have already incorporated AI into their workflow. But they don’t believe AI’s work stops there.
Over a quarter (28%) of creators said they believe the next two to three years will be shaped by AI-generated content, according to Epidemic Sounds’ The Future of the Creator Economy Report 2025. A further 27% of creators also predicted that the industry will see the rise of AI-powered creator marketplaces, which will auto-match them with brands, licensing or briefs – and those types of marketplaces are already starting to take shape via TikTok and YouTube, per the report.
Furthermore, 27% of creators who responded to the survey did also predict that AI tools will replace editors, managers or creative collaborators over the next two to three years as well.
Consumers are concerned about brands using AI for content
While there’s currently very mixed reviews across the board on AI, which is very much in its hype period, consumers still have a number of concerns around how brands show up on social media.
Just over half (52%) of consumers surveyed said that along with mishandling their personal data, their top concern about brands on social media is brands posting AI-generated content without disclosing it, according to Sprout Social’s pulse survey: The State of Social Media in 2025.
Consumers remain skeptical about AI and creator content
Given the amount of AI slop which seems to be appearing all over social media right now, it’s no surprise that there is still a huge amount of skepticism around it, even when it comes to creator content.
According to data from Billion Dollar boy’s upcoming report, Muse Two, The Real Impact of AI on the Creator Economy, this year, around a quarter (26%) of consumers prefer generative AI creator content to traditional creator content, compared to 60% who were asked about their preferences in 2023.
Similarly, around a third (32%) of consumers believe AI has negatively disrupted the creator economy, compared to just 18% of respondents who were asked about their views back in 2023, per the data. When asked if they think AI has positively disrupted the creator economy, 34% believe it had back in 2023, but that’s dipped to just 31% in 2025.
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