You might be struggling to reach 1000 followers on Instagram, but that’s not an issue for virtual influencers. Yep that’s right, some brands make deals with AI-generated characters, usually women, who post reflections about their (non-existent) lives, fashion style and cities.
This may sound weird, but it’s a lucrative business for some people who have automated posts set up. It’s been estimated as a $120 billion industry. And you don’t even need to appear before a camera or have people know anything about you. Unlike real influencers, they’re not likely to get drawn into controversy for doing dumb things for likes injuring animals or abusing locals while travelling.
The AI influencer market is dominated by 10 of these early adopters.
In order of their follower count, here are the 10 most followed AI influencers:
Lu do Magalu (@magazineluiza)
Followers: Over 7 million on Instagram.
Country: Brazil.
Barbie (@barbie)
Followers: Approximately 3.5 million on Instagram.
Lil Miquela (@lilmiquela)
Followers: Around 2.5 million on Instagram.
Country: USA.
Noonoouri (@noonoouri)
Followers: Approximately 500,000 on Instagram.
Imma (@imma.gram)
Followers: Over 300,000 on Instagram.
Bermuda (@bermudaisbae)
Followers: Over 300,000 on Instagram.
Shudu Gram (@shudu.gram)
Followers: Over 237,000 on Instagram.
Milla Sofia (@millasofiafin)
Followers: Approximately 211,000 on Instagram.
Country: Finland.
Rozy (@rozy.gram)
Followers: Over 100,000 on Instagram.
Country: South Korea.
Liam Nikuro (@liam_nikuro)
Followers: Over 11,000 on Instagram.
Country: Japan.
As you can see, these are all influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers (except for the guy of course, much less of a thirst trap. There’s almost no buy-in costs to get started and the industry is quickly becoming more saturated as people see the potential for brand deals, sponsorships and Patreon deals. You might be thinking people make a killing through OnlyFans, but they specifically don’t allow AI creators, unlike Instagram.
When did AI Influencer Marketing get Popular?
Artificial intelligence influencers have been around since the 2010s, but it’s only recently that AI image generators have become so advanced that they’ve entered the mainstream. Now the images are so detailed that a lot of people aren’t able to tell that these are AI-generated and not real women.
Fast forward to 2025, and influencers like Lil Miquela collaborate with high-profile companies and brands in the fashion industry.
So who are the people donating? If you thought lonely old men, then you’re right, congratulations. These influencers don’t have any of the human restrictions and can post around the clock without any need to rest. It really boosts their engagement levels. A quick look at the most popular models shows that they’re all female, except for Liam Nikuro.
Here are the Industries of the most popular AI Influencers
Lu do Magalu: Created by the Brazilian retail company Magazine Luiza, Lu do Magalu is one of the most followed virtual influencers, promoting products and engaging with a vast audience.
Barbie: The iconic doll has transitioned into the digital realm, sharing fashion, lifestyle, and inspirational content.
Lil Miquela: A 21-year-old ‘robot’ living in LA, Lil Miquela has collaborated with brands like Prada and Calvin Klein, blurring the lines between virtual and real-life influencers. She’s accredited as the first AI influencer and has been on the scene,
Imma: With her chic style, Imma shares her fashion and lifestyle content, all coming from her virtual life in Tokyo. She appears in some videos as well as pictures.
Bermuda: Here’s another AI influencer, this time with a close relationship with Miquela – at least enough to share her link in bio. She’s not as active as she once was, but she’s known for her high fashion brand collaborations.
Shudu Gram: Shudu has collaborated with brands like Fenty Beauty and Ferragamo. A lot of the posts are her showing off her beauty in different outfits with basic descriptions, but now and then she posts something deeper and has appeared in Vogue.
Noonoouri: She isn’t trying to be realistic and is clearly a standout thanks to her cartoon head. It’s a little jarring but that hasn’t stopped her from fronting campaigns for Dior, Versace, and Valentino. Her posts read like a Valley girl if you’re OK with that.
Rozy: A virtual influencer sharing adventures in Seoul, fashion collaborations, and daily musings.
Milla Sofia: Mila is a 24-year-old virtual fashion model who has a busty chest and big ass making it pretty obvious how she got so many followers. She’s a blonde with a Patreon who posts a lot of video content.
Liam Nikuro: This is the only male on the list of the top 10 follow AI influencers on social media. Goes to show that at the end of the day, there are a lot of thirst traps and curious people out there. He’s known for fashion and lifestyle content.
Are AI Influencers Ethical?
It really depends. A lot of the models I’ve mentioned specifically mention they’re robots or artificial, but there are thousands more out there who don’t. As for older generations, they seem to be the ones who more commonly believe that they’re engaging with an AI instead of a real person.
The impact they have on human creators brings up questions about whether they’re taking jobs from real people. If you thought people using filters led to teenage girls having unrealistic beauty standards, wait until you see these models – they’re always flawless.
As long as people are aware that the relationships they might feel like they’re forming with influencers aren’t real, I don’t see the issue. That said, some of them get a little political with their posts, and I find it crazy how many people leave comments on every one of their posts.
With how lucrative the AI industry is, these virtual influencers aren’t going to leave the digital space anytime soon.