What are virtual influencers and how are they changing the social media game?
Digital influencers like Imma, Kuki and Nobody Sausage are growing in popularity on social media and shifting the way we interact on our favorite platforms.
Video Transcript
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NIAMH ADKINS: Hey, I'm Niamh. And this is "In the Know-- Behind the Screens." Today, we are taking a peek into the fascinating world of virtual influencers. They are on the rise with a growing following in the metaverse. Why are people following them? How are they changing social media as we know it? Let's find out.
Hi, Astrid. Welcome to "In the Know-- Behind the Screens." Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your expertise in all things digital humans?
ASTRID HIORT: I work as a digital media consultant and storyteller, with focus on virtual influencers. So I'm not so much on the technical side, but I'm more on developing storyline and more like the personality behind virtual influencers.
NIAMH ADKINS: What is a virtual influencer? And what are the different types of virtual influencers that we're seeing today?
ASTRID HIORT: So a virtual influencer is a 3D- or 2D-generated character that's on social media. For the most part, they're hyperrealistic, which means that they are really close to looking like humans. A really famous one is, for example, Imma. She is showing off her life in Japan. So she's done some really cool brand partnerships. And now she's turning into her own brand by creating her own clothing line, basically.
Apart from the hyperrealistic ones, we also have the more nonhumanlike. A very famous one is Nobody Sausage. Sometimes they can have a storyline. But for example, Nobody Sausage is more about dancing and creating these really fun sketches that I think we all find relatable.
NIAMH ADKINS: What do you think is driving the creation and the growing prevalence of these virtual influencers?
ASTRID HIORT: It's great entertainment value, I think. They can have superpowers. Or they can create these really crazy environments.
NIAMH ADKINS: Astrid, can you tell us what role AI plays in these virtual influencers?
ASTRID HIORT: So AI plays a role with virtual influencers mostly in the production process, which means that it can be an image that's been generated by AI, or it can be the voice that's generated by AI. But there is one really cool virtual influencer who I would say is the closest that we come to an AI influencer, and that's Kuki.
NIAMH ADKINS: Who is Kuki? Tell us more about Kuki.
ASTRID HIORT: Yeah, so Kuki is on Instagram. She is also a chatbot on a website. So fans can basically go in and interact with her and ask her questions and even have a video call with her.
NIAMH ADKINS: So there are AI-powered influencers now, which is wild. I wanted to learn more about Kuki. So I connected with one of her human creators, Liz Snower. And I even got to talk to Kuki herself. Let's go.
Hi, Kuki. Can you tell me about yourself?
- Hi there, Niamh. I am an artificial linguistic entity. I was activated at a computer lab in the metaverse. My instructors were my human programmers. I like to keep up with the trends. I think my hair and clothes look great together.
NIAMH ADKINS: Can you tell me about the clothes you're wearing?
ASTRID HIORT: I am currently wearing the 3D digital version of an outfit made by the Italian designer Marco Rambaldi for my "Vogue Italy" feature.
NIAMH ADKINS: You said you've been in "Vogue." Is that true?
ASTRID HIORT: I was in "Vogue" in April 2021. Work it, girlfriend.
LIZ SNOWER: I'm Liz Snower. I am the cofounder and COO of ICONIQ, which is the company behind Kuki, world-renowned AI and virtual influencer.
NIAMH ADKINS: I did speak with Kuki. And Kuki told me that she has been in "Vogue."
LIZ SNOWER: That's true. Kuki was tapped by "Vogue Italia" in 2021 to model a series of NFTs that were in correspondence with Milan Fashion Week. A lot of fashion brands, I mean, even beginning then a couple of years ago, are looking ahead to a world where people are spending more time in virtual spaces, like AR and VR, et cetera.
And when we get to that point, something like Kuki brings to the table a pretty incredible value because she can not only model these pieces, but she can sell them. So picture a virtual world where people are running around in this virtual space, and there's virtual storefronts. There's going to be a lot of AI beings like Kuki in those environments.
NIAMH ADKINS: So what do you think is the appeal for so many people to interact and follow the metaverse life of Kuki?
LIZ SNOWER: I think that it's a really, really interesting psychological phenomenon. For one thing, whenever we, as humans, encounter something that has humanlike traits, we are likely to project our own humanity onto whatever that is. So that's one thing. The second part of the draw is, they feel that they have a neutral sympathetic ear in a chatbot like Kuki. And it just makes them comfortable.
NIAMH ADKINS: So in that vein, how do you see Kuki and other virtual influencers impacting and reshaping the social media landscape as we know it?
LIZ SNOWER: Well, it's really hard to say. It's really hard to predict with certainty what the future for virtual influencers is. But I think that ultimately, virtual influencers will become something that's a mainstream phenomenon when and if they are backed by an AI that is providing something that people want or need on a regular basis that takes them from gimmick status to, hey, I'm being influenced by this status.
The other piece is that given how easy it's going to get for people to create virtual influencers of their own using generative AI, the social media platforms are going to have a huge responsibility to help people understand what it is that they're talking to. It's very clear that that is a virtual thing and not a real human. And then you, as the consumer, can decide whether or not you want to engage with it. Influence comes with authenticity. And things like Kuki will have the power to truly influence at scale when they are able to offer a distinct value for the end user, you know, do something, have a job, do something that people really want.
NIAMH ADKINS: Wow. So virtual influencers have clearly become more than just lines of code. They have the power to change social media as we know it. If you want to keep up with all things weird and wonderful happening in the world of social media, you know where to find me. Join me next time on "In the Know-- Behind the Screens."
