Brands using AI-generated influencers to promote products on social media
TL;DR
A Guardian investigation says brands are increasingly using AI-generated influencers on social media, often in posts that look like real customer experiences. Examples include Once, Maket and Ashle, with content framed around weddings, app demos, fashion shots and unboxing-style product reactions. In the UK, the ASA says there is no specific rule requiring AI-made ads to be labelled. EU AI Act rules for deepfake labelling start applying in August.
Nauti's Take
This is the logical endpoint of performance marketing that has treated authenticity as a format rather than a property for years. AI does not invent the deception; it makes it cheaper, faster and easier to scale.
Brands that simulate real customer experience may buy better hooks in the short term and lose trust in the long term. A clear label would not kill innovation.
If the person does not exist, the viewer should know.
Briefingshow
The issue is not that brands are testing AI visuals. The issue is advertising designed to look like genuine customer experience without making the fiction clear. That turns UGC from social proof into synthetic trust theatre.
For platforms and regulators, the practical question becomes less about whether AI was used and more about whether consumers can recognize the commercial trick.
Sources