Is AI a Threat for Content Creators?

Understanding AI’s Impact on the Creator Economy

Núria Crespi
adobaro
3 min readJul 29, 2024

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As the modern technology world continues to evolve, a pressing question emerges: Will AI replace human content creators? This debate is gaining momentum, especially within the influencer marketing and content creation sectors. To understand the potential shift, it’s essential to explore AI’s role, its current capabilities, and how it may redefine the creator economy.

AI: A Fundamental Shift

AI isn’t just a fleeting trend. It represents an imperative transition in how we approach various jobs, including those in the creator economy. AI has the potential to automate tasks and reshape the labor market, leading to new roles while replacing some existing ones. This transformative power of AI is both exciting and concerning for creators and marketers alike.

Identifying AI-generated Content

In February 2024, Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, highlighted the importance of distinguishing AI-generated content on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Meta aims to help users identify when content is generated by AI, though complete identification remains a challenge. If successful, this could empower consumers to differentiate between content created by AI and humans, preventing the mass production of AI influencers from overshadowing genuine creators.

Consumer Perception: Do They Care?

A critical question in this debate is whether consumers care about the difference between AI and human influencers. Historically, AI has been present in gaming, offering an alternative when human players are unavailable. However, this experience often falls short compared to interacting with real people. Similarly, social media users follow real individuals for a sense of connection, something AI creators may struggle to replicate.

The Case of AI Influencers

AI influencers like Lil Miquela, the top AI generated content, who has 2.6 million followers on Instagram, illustrate AI’s limited traction compared to top human creators. For instance, Cristiano Ronaldo has 630 million followers on the same platform, and MrBeast has 244 million on YouTube. This stark contrast suggests that while AI influencers can gain popularity, they are unlikely to replace the deep personal connections human creators offer.

Content Creation and Information Distribution

The type of content also plays a role in this dynamic play. Audiences often follow creators for their personal lives and opinions. However, for creators focused on distributing information, like news or top 10 lists, the human element is less critical. This type of content is more susceptible to AI replacement, with some creators already suing AI to enhance their output.

AI Is Enhancing, Not Replacing Creators

Despite concerns, AI is currently more of a tool to augment creators rather than replace them. AI helps creators edit faster, dub videos into multiple languages, and produce more content, leveling the playing field with conglomerate media companies. This technological assistance is driving the democratization of media, allowing more voices to be heard.

The Human Connection Remains Irreplaceable

While AI’s role in the creator economy is undeniable and will continue to grow, human participation is still necessary. Followers seek real interactions and genuine connections that AI influencers cannot fully replicate. The multiplayer game of life is richer and more meaningful with real players, and it is likely to stay that way.

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