The rise of the AI influencer

// custom header art window.tgam.meta.photo_desktop = "https://www.theglobeandmail.com/resizer/v2/6EGYAC6WGFBJDD4VCYWCOYCNVE.jpg?auth=30de67e327bd6a43bae33056c2525db88d167c598dc488b9adbb471c891101ae&width=1900&quality=80"; window.tgam.meta.photo_mobile = "https://www.theglobeandmail.com/resizer/v2/6EGYAC6WGFBJDD4VCYWCOYCNVE.jpg?auth=30de67e327bd6a43bae33056c2525db88d167c598dc488b9adbb471c891101ae&width=1900&quality=80"; window.tgam.meta.video = ""; window.tgam.meta.caption = "Aitana Lopez has 342,000 followers on Instagram, makes up US$15,000 a month, and is not a real person."; window.tgam.meta.credit = "Clueless Aigency/Supplied"; // custom header layout parameters window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay = false; window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay_vertical_position = "centre"; // top, centre, bottom window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay_horizontal_position = "centre"; // left, centre, right window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay_gradient = false; window.tgam.meta.two_column = true; window.tgam.meta.swap_column = false; window.tgam.meta.full_width = false; window.tgam.meta.dark_background = false; window.tgam.meta.dark_background_colour = ""; window.tgam.meta.centre_headline = false; window.tgam.meta.large_headline = false; window.tgam.meta.sans_headline = false; window.tgam.meta.label_text_colour = ""; window.tgam.meta.label_box_colour = ""; window.tgam.meta.label_text_colour_overlay = "" ; window.tgam.meta.label_box_colour_overlay = ""; window.tgam.meta.audio_bar = false; // custom header display overrides (optional): window.tgam.meta.display_head = "Imitation fame"; window.tgam.meta.display_deck = "AI influencers' profitable rise is challenging the importance of authenticity on social media"; window.tgam.meta.label = "Culture"; window.tgam.meta.byline = "Samantha Edwards"; window.tgam.meta.byline2 = ""; window.tgam.meta.creditline = "The Globe and Mail"; Aitana Lopez’s Instagram feed is a stream of perfectly-coiffed wavy pink hair, elaborate gaming set-ups, selfies in sports bras and photoshoots on yachts and tropical locales. “Looking at these pictures and I can’t help but miss summer, sun and those endless beach days,” reads one caption.Her grid looks like every other lifestyle influencer du jour – highly stylized, aspirational and photoshopped, with plenty of conspicuous product placements – but there’s a difference. And you can spot it in the Instagram bio: “AI influencer.”