AI avatars on TikTok could reshape the $21B influencer economy

TikTok is expanding its Symphony AI ads platform to generate virtual influencer content that mimics human creators, including AI avatars trying on clothes, holding products, and demonstrating apps. This development represents a significant shift toward automating influencer marketing, potentially reducing costs for brands while raising questions about the future of human content creators in the digital advertising ecosystem.

What you should know: The new Symphony features go far beyond basic AI-generated videos to replicate authentic influencer behavior and interactions.

• Advertisers can upload images and text prompts to generate videos with virtual avatars modeling clothing, displaying branded apps on phone screens, and interacting with products.
• The system incorporates existing TikTok features like photo-to-video conversion, making them available to advertisers for the first time.
• All AI-generated content will include clear labeling and undergo “multiple rounds of safety review.”

Why this matters: The expansion signals TikTok’s serious investment in AI-powered advertising that could fundamentally reshape the influencer economy.

• Virtual avatars offer brands unlimited content generation without the costs and contract negotiations required for human influencers.
• The technology enables automated processes, targeted audience reach, and multi-language dubbing at unprecedented scale.
• TikTok could potentially reduce affiliate earnings shared with human creators by replacing them with virtual alternatives.

The competitive landscape: AI has been steadily infiltrating influencer marketing, but this represents a significant escalation in capabilities.

• Advertisers already use synthetic characters to read promotional scripts, but TikTok’s new tools add interactive product demonstrations.
• Some brands remain resistant to AI-generated content, while others are moving cautiously into the space.
• Human influencers currently use AI tools behind the scenes for editing and planning, but face potential displacement from front-facing roles.

What’s at stake: The technology raises fundamental questions about the nature of product recommendations and authentic marketing.

• Human influencers face a dual threat: direct replacement by AI avatars and downward pressure on rates due to increased AI content volume.
• The authenticity of product recommendations becomes questionable when the “influencer” doesn’t actually exist or use the products.
• Platforms may prioritize the “cheapest, fastest path with the least resistance” over supporting human creators who depend on these platforms for income.

What they’re saying: Industry observers question the implications of AI-generated product endorsements.

• The article poses a critical question: “Is it really a product recommendation if the entity trying to sell you on it doesn’t exist?”
• The shift represents a fundamental change in how brands might approach influencer partnerships and content creation strategies.