Allow me to paint a picture of a possible tomorrow.

You arrive home from work and open Instagram. Immediately, you notice something different. The familiar flood of reposted clips, celebrity dramas, and intrusive ads from well-known brands is absent. Instead, you find a platform seemingly dedicated to content that feels refreshingly human.

At first glance, it appears social media has returned to its roots—authentic content created by people, for people. Yet, you quickly realize that 80% of what you’re seeing is generated by artificial intelligence. These AI influencers and brand ambassadors, representing well-known brands, are indistinguishable from real humans.

Why This Future Is Inevitable

Brand loyalty is in decline, particularly among younger generations. This shift aligns with the rise of influencers who forge genuine connections with their audiences. As traditional advertising loses its shine, the authenticity and relatability of these influencers make their endorsements incredibly effective.

However, brand ambassadors come with risks—they can become entangled in controversies, age, or just simply decide to retire. These factors make relying solely on human influencers an increasingly unreliable strategy.

That’s where AI comes in. Artificially created personas will act as the new brand spokespeople, offering a reliable and controversy-free solution. This shift is already underway, as evidenced by recent policy changes. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, announced increased efforts to clamp down on reposted content, which currently constitutes over 80% of all social media content. In this new landscape, creating original content will not only be the most effective strategy but essentially the only way for brands to thrive on social platforms.

EDIT:

As I draft this post, Ukraine has just unveiled a groundbreaking development: their new foreign ministry spokesperson, Victoria Shi, an AI that is completely indistinguishable from a human. She will be making announcements on behalf of the country across various social media platforms.

This rapid adoption is a clear indicator of the transformative power of AI in social media. The question is no longer if others will follow suit, but rather, when will you?

The Takeaway

What seemed like a distant future is now upon us. AI’s role in social media is not just a possibility; it is an unfolding reality. How quickly can you adapt to stay ahead in this new era?