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The creator economy is rapidly evolving due to the convergence of technology and creativity. As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, its impact on the sector is only growing. From virtual influencers to content repurposing tools, AI is changing how creators produce, distribute, and monetize their content. But while AI holds great potential, it also raises significant ethical questions and challenges.
Virtual influencers and the future of content creation
One of the most interesting developments is the rise of virtual influencers. Jordi van den Bussche, also known as Kwebbelkop, is a prominent advocate of this trend. A content creator for over a decade, Jordi believes that virtual influencers are the future of the industry. He explains: “I envision a future where almost every influencer is a virtual influencer. I’ve been saying this for years, and now it’s slowly starting to happen. This is the future, this is where we’re heading.”
Jordi began investing in virtual influencers because of the challenges he faced as a traditional content creator. He describes the “key man problem” – where the success of a creator’s business is so dependent on the creator’s personal involvement. If the creator takes a break or backs off, the entire business can suffer. To mitigate this risk, Jordi developed Bloo, a virtual influencer that mimics his own persona but functions independently of creators. “Bloo has a step-by-step process on the backend, and there is an actor, but it’s a virtual person,” Jordi explains. “Every element of the process is modular, so anyone and anything can be replaced and it will live forever.”
The possibilities for virtual influencers are endless: they can create content at scale, stay on brand without burnout, and stay consistent. But this innovation also brings ethical concerns. Jordi says, “People say, ‘Oh, but it’s fake. You’ll never be able to convey your true personality and connect with people.’ It’s hard, but it’s possible.” The challenge lies in creating a genuine connection between virtual influencers and their audiences, something that traditional influencers naturally have.
AI tools to make creators more efficient
Beyond virtual influencers, AI is also changing the way content is produced and reused. Opus Clip’s Conor Eliot highlights AI’s role as an efficiency tool in the creator economy. “We’re not trying to replace any aspect of the human creative process, we’re just trying to make people’s lives a lot easier by enabling them to take on the boring tasks, so they can go out and do something exciting and fun,” Conor explains.
Opus Clip is an AI-generated tool that reworks long-form content into multiple short videos with one click. This feature is especially useful for creators who need to maintain a presence across different platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. The tool analyzes your content to identify the most engaging moments and automatically generates socially optimized clips. Connor emphasizes that the role of AI is to augment human creativity, not replace it. “AI is just one tool in the toolkit. It’s not designed to replace human creativity.”
The democratization of content creation through AI tools like Opus Clip lowers the barrier to entry and allows more people to become creators. But Connor acknowledges a potential downside: a saturation of AI-generated content. “I know we’re going to be inundated with AI-generated content, but I think people will soon realize they don’t really like it. The value of content is in the community and connection it brings.”
AI in large-scale content production
For large content production companies, AI is becoming an integral part of their operations. Victor Potrel of TheSoul Publishing, a global content production company, talks about how they integrated AI into their production process. “We’ve been building this platform for a long time to help us move from stage to stage and stay focused. It was a natural evolution to add modules to support the production and distribution process,” Victor explains.
TheSoul Publishing uses AI to generate thumbnails, create animated backgrounds, and streamline other aspects of content creation. By training the AI ​​tools with years of in-house data, they’ve optimized these processes to align with their brand’s style and standards. However, Victor also recognizes the limitations of AI in content creation. “When you look at pure AI video production, I think it’s definitely going to continue to grow, but it’s not at the quality yet where it can completely replace us.”
Victor also believes that AI is a tool that enhances human creativity, not replaces it. While AI can help streamline content creation, he believes audiences still want real, human-created content. “Viewers always want to know if they’re watching AI content. Not everyone wants to watch AI content blindly, or watch content that may be supported by AI instead.”
Use AI to make smarter content decisions
AI’s potential to optimize content creation goes beyond efficiency to a strategic level, where it can influence key decisions about what content to create and how to distribute it. Jeremy Barnett, CEO of RAD AI, emphasizes the importance of understanding audience behavior and preferences through AI. “We’ve developed an artificial intelligence that understands the language of the internet… and by taking into account the audience insights part first, we can make better creator and influencer recommendations,” Jeremy explains.
RAD AI’s approach analyzes vast datasets from platforms like Reddit, Google, and social media channels to measure real-time sentiment and trends. This data-driven approach helps brands make more informed decisions about which creators to partner with and what content resonates with their target audience. Jeremy points out that AI’s ability to process and interpret this information prevents biases and outdated assumptions from influencing marketing strategies. “Without a deep understanding of who your customers are and what motivates them to take action, you can make outdated recommendations or instill biases.”
But Jeremy also cautions about ethical considerations around using AI to influence content decisions. He points out that AI-driven campaigns carry potential risks, such as spreading misinformation and reinforcing unintended stereotypes. “Reddit’s purpose is to give us an inside look at how the world feels about certain topics, but sometimes it helps us identify things we shouldn’t do,” Jeremy adds, highlighting the dual nature of AI insights.
Ethical considerations for AI in content creation
The rise of AI in the creator economy comes with significant ethical considerations. As AI tools become more sophisticated, the line between real and AI-generated content blurs, raising questions around transparency and authenticity. Jeremy Barnett highlights the importance of using AI responsibly to avoid these pitfalls: “The KPIs involved will obviously be different depending on whether a brand is engaged directly or working with an agency, but at the end of the day we’re working with clients who want to identify or validate who they are and the relationship between those audience insights and their campaign objectives.”
The impact of AI on the creator economy is undeniable. It gives creators new tools to enhance their content, reach a wider audience, and operate more efficiently. Virtual influencers like Bloo are breaking new ground in content creation, and tools like Opus Clip are empowering creators to do more with less. But the rise of AI also brings ethical challenges that the industry must address.
This article is excerpted from the Business of Creators podcast.
