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Written by Hoozu CEO, Natalie Giddings

For a long time, ‘AI’ seemed to be this intangible, Sci-Fi thing of the future. A term thrown around in the ether with little visible impact on the everyday person. Then, in the space of just 18 months, it took the whole world by storm. 2022 and 2023 have seen AI move from a curious research subject, interesting only to the sciencey/techy people, to a thing we’re suddenly faced with in our own lives. OpenAI’s ChatGPT became revolutionary overnight, with 46% of adults under 35 having tried it. (PublicFirst, What does the public think about AI?) I actually freak out a little whenever I consider the power this tool has, and the fact it’s literally free for anybody to use.

It suddenly appears that AI is getting involved with all aspects of our lives and business. We’ve seen governments discuss use cases in medicine, law, immigration. We’ve seen publishers utilise the bizarrely coherent work of ChatGPT in producing content. See struggling BuzzFeed letting go of 180 employees and engaging the economically efficient ChatGPT to create written assets. (The Telegraph). It is also making huge steps within technology, marketing and digital industries, including our own.

The Influencer Marketing Hub did a great job of summarising the areas of Influencer Marketing that AI is supporting – whether that’s vetting talent; pulling research for content ideation; or AI Influencers themselves. AI will no doubt help brands who have previously been uncertain around the risks involved in Influencer Fraud or ROI measurement. From an agency/brand standpoint, I also foresee AI helping with brief creation; concept generation; automated communication and assistance with analysis and ad-setup, using Influencer content.

There is no doubt AI has the potential to make all of our lives easier… but it also happens to be developing far quicker than the world’s moral compass can keep up with. The past couple of years have been a wild west in which AI has had every freedom to take over. Right now, I can’t see what is stopping students from submitting ChatGPT-written coursework; AI influencers promoting products without the true endorsement of human-use; or even ChatBots claiming to have consciousness and emotion (this has, reportedly, happened! Scientific American).

I’m not the only one sharing this concern. In a small study, PublicFirst found that whilst 42% of those asked were interested in AI, 27% were worried about it. One respondent explained they’re “worried that the consequences of AI are ruining human behaviour”. Apparently even the likes of techy/sciencey guy Elon Musk agree too; as he endorsed Future of Life’s Open Letter to Pause Giant AI Experiments for at least 6 months. OpenAI have agreed to hold off training GPT-5 for the time being. Hopefully governments and officials will use this chance to generate laws and regulations to protect the world from any potential risks around AI.

Regardless of what happens from a legal standpoint; or the ways AI will facilitate our lives going forward, I can foresee a strong reaction in opposition to the state of AI. As more and more of our lives become automated, I think humans will crave humanity even more. At an instinctual level, we are social beings – we require human connection. As such, we will begin to covet the authentic and the real more than ever. And, ultimately, this is what human influencers can provide – it is literally why they have proven so much more effective as a marketing tactic compared to more traditional devices. Influencers chatting candidly on their stories; or producing comical sketches on TikTok; or having raw and emotional conversations on a podcast – these content formats all require human creation to be best received by human ears.

And the same goes for the influencers themselves; with more and more automated communication through Influencer Marketing AI tools; they will begin to appreciate the human touch of agency even more. Where personal relationships can be built, influencers are more generous with rates; more creative with conceptualisation; and more willing to give value-add to their bookings.

Have you been considering embarking on an Influencer Marketing journey to grow your brand? But you’re worried about where to start, how to avoid influencer fraud, or how to benchmark goals? Get in touch today. We have excellent relationships built with Australia’s finest Influencers.