Top 7 AI Influencers and What Made Them Successful

Every industry has its stars—the ones who don’t just ride the wave but create it. In AI, these aren’t just geniuses tweaking algorithms in basements. They’re strategists, storytellers, and visionaries who’ve turned raw code into cultural revolutions. 

The secret? Playing chess while everyone else is stuck playing checkers. Here’s how they outmaneuvered the rest.

1. Lu do Magalu (@magazineluiza)

Image credit: Instagram

Lu started in 2003 as a virtual sales assistant for Magazine Luiza, a big store in Brazil. At first, she only made YouTube videos (in 2009) to promote iBlogTV. Now, she’s everywhere online with 31.2 million followers—part shopping assistant, part celebrity.

What Fuels Her

• Text-to-Speech: Lu's voice is created using advanced text-to-speech AI, which has been trained on Brazilian Portuguese data sets. This helps her speak naturally and authentically, keeping her Brazilian roots.
• Omnichannel Domination: You see Lu on Magazine Luiza’s website, phone apps, and social media. She teaches tech tips, shows new products, and opens boxes in videos.
• Profit Driver: In 2019, Magazine Luiza made $552M profit. By 2022, Lu alone helped earn $16.4 million just from Instagram posts.

Stunts That Stuck

• Reality TV Star: Lu joined Big Brother Brasil as a contestant and danced on Strictly Come Dancing Brazil in 2021 using 3D effects.
• Music Videos: She featured in music videos alongside Brazil's leading Spotify artist Anitta and international DJ Alok, with promoted products selling out quickly on Magalu's app.
• Fashion Icon: Lu was the first AI on the cover of Vogue Brasil, proving virtual people can be stylish.
• Sports Commentator: Lu became the first virtual influencer to give live commentary of a soccer game in Brazil through TikTok.

Brand Collaborations

Lu's portfolio reaches further than Magalu, working with international brands such as Apple, Burger King, Adidas, and Red Bull. She was also the first non-athlete to become an official Red Bull cartoon character.

Why She Wins

Image credit: adsoftheworld

Lu shows how AI can be both useful and entertaining. She sells products but also makes Brazilians proud. From YouTube helper to Vogue model, she’s changed what a “robot” can do.

2. Lil Miquela (@lilmiquela)

Image credit: Instagram

Virtual influencer Lil Miquela, whom Los Angeles startup Brud brought into being in 2016, has claimed social media as her own stage. What started as an experiment with digital art and AI tech has seen Miquela has remained perpetually 19 years old since her debut. 

By 2025, she's amassed millions of followers across platforms, blurring the lines between reality and fiction.

The Playbook

Manufactured Controversy: Miquela's account was "hacked" in 2018 by a second Brud-created avatar, Bermuda, a blonde Trump supporter. The staged controversy prompted Miquela to "confess" she was not human, sparking heated online arguments and radically increasing engagement.

Relatability: Miquela's content is carefully designed to replicate Gen Z authenticity. Her captions frequently include vulnerable confessions such as "Just got called out as a robot... again 💔", creating an illusion of genuine emotion that resonates with her audience.

AI-Driven Persona: While specific details of the technology behind Miquela are undisclosed, her creators use a combination of 3D modeling, natural language processing, and machine learning to maintain her persona across platforms.

Brand Magnetism

Miquela's controversial but also engaging presence has attracted large brands:

• Fashion: She's collaborated with Prada, taking over their Instagram during Milan Fashion Week in 2018.
• Luxury Partnerships: Calvin Klein included Miquela in a 2019 ad campaign alongside supermodel Bella Hadid, sparking discussions about digital representation in fashion.
• Tech Giants: Samsung and BMW partnered with Miquela for product endorsements, leveraging her persona.

Monetization

By 2025, Miquela's influence has turned into substantial revenue:

• She reportedly charges up to $10,000 per Instagram post.
• In 2020, Miquela signed with CAA, becoming the talent agency's first virtual client.

Controversies and Critiques

Miquela's rise hasn't been without criticism:

• The 2019 Calvin Klein campaign featuring Bella Hadid was accused of "queer-baiting."
• A 2019 video in which Miquela alleged she had been sexually assaulted in a rideshare ignited controversy over the use of virtual characters to discuss real trauma.
• Critics argue that Miquela's existence exacerbates the objectification of women and the commodification of the female body.

The Lesson

Miquela's success demonstrates that in the influencer economy, engagement is king—even if controversy is the catalyst. By embracing arguments over her legitimacy and courting outrage with brand partnerships, Miquela has established herself as an icon in the virtual sphere. 

Her model of converting criticism into cash has been successful, with each controversy only feeding her popularity and viability.

3. Aitana Lopez (@fit_aitana)

Image credit: Instagram

Spain's pink-haired AI influencer, Aitana Lopez, exploded onto social media in 2023. Developed by The Clueless, a Barcelona-based communications agency, Aitana was conceived in frustration at the unreliability and extortionate cost of human influencers. 

Rubén Cruz and Diana Núñez, the two founders of the agency, envisioned her as a revolt against the wild west of influencer marketing with a work ethic that would embarrass Elon Musk. No tantrums. No siestas. Just cold, hard capitalism.

The Grind

Human influencers require sleep. Aitana? She has a schedule that would hospitalize a CEO:

• Fitness: Shares dumbbell selfies and kale smoothie recipes at 5 AM. Feeds gym rats who believe "rest day" is a four-letter word.
• Gaming: Aitana games online and earns money from Spain's booming e-sports sector.
• Fashion: She struts the catwalk for the likes of Victoria's Secret, seamlessly transitioning from athleisure to haute couture.

Financial Success

Aitana doesn’t just monetize—she commodities. Her revenue streams are as diverse as her content:

• Exclusive Content: Charges fans $15/month on Fanvue for “exclusive” bikini pics and workout tips. Funnels FOMO into recurring revenue.
• Brand Partnerships: Aitana collaborates with Nike, Olaplex, and Brandy Melville Spain.
• Post Pricing: Brands spend approximately $1,000 per post for Aitana's digital endorsement.

The Clueless's gamble on AI influencers has paid off handsomely:

• Monthly Earnings: Aitana rakes in an average of €3,000 per month, with peaks reaching up to €10,000.
• Consistent Income: Unlike human influencers, Aitana provides a stable, predictable revenue stream for the agency.

The AI Advantage

Aitana's success highlights the unique benefits of AI influencers:

• 24/7 Availability: No need for sleep or personal time means constant engagement and content creation.
• Controlled Narrative: Weekly planning meetings allow The Clueless to craft Aitana's perfect week, free from real-world complications.
• Niche: Targets fitness enthusiasts, gamers, and fashion victims because why stick to one lane when you can crash them all?

Industry Impact

Aitana’s success isn’t all confetti and cash:

• Redefining Authenticity: Despite being AI-generated, Aitana has developed a fan base of loyal followers, some of whom interact with her as though she were human.
• Challenging Human Influencers: Her success raises questions about the future role of human influencers in a market where AI can work tirelessly and consistently.
• Ethical Considerations: Her “look” was engineered via Instagram trends like unrealistic proportions and flaw-free skin. Critics say she’s a CGI middle finger to body positivity.

Aitana Lopez is a new kind of influencer: one who never exhausts, never fails, and always remains on brand. While she continues to reign supreme over several niches, she's not just making money; she's reinventing the very model of digital influence.

4. Shudu Gram (@shudu.gram)

Image credit: Instagram

Cameron-James Wilson, a white British photographer bored of “painting Barbies,” dropped Shudu in 2017 as a 3D grenade into fashion’s homogeneity. Designed to mirror South Africa’s Ndebele women, her existence is a paradox: a digital Black supermodel coded by a white man, praised for “diversity” while dodging real-world pay equity debates.

Image credit: Ndebele women / Flickr

Flawless by Design

Shudu’s strategy? Be untouchable. Wilson tweaked her proportions to defy runway norms—wider hips, softer curves—to avoid “negative beauty ideals”. No tantrums, no diva demands. Just hyperreal skin textures and poses polished in Daz 3D software. 

Brands like Balmain and BMW bit hard because she’s a compliant mannequin—slip her into any campaign without flights, fees, or meltdowns.

Going Viral

Her 2018 Fenty Beauty collab exploded when Rihanna’s team shared Shudu wearing “Mattemoiselle” lipstick. Followers commented about her “stunning realness”… until Wilson confessed she was CGI. The backlash? Severely harsh. 

Critics labeled her “digital blackface”, claiming she took jobs away from dark-skinned models who were struggling for visibility. Wilson’s rebuttal? “She keeps the conversation about Black women in fashion alive”—conveniently sidestepping who profits from that conversation.

The Meta-Irony

Shudu’s “activism” is accidental. While she’s strutted for Vogue and Oscar de la Renta, her creator’s agency, The Diigitals, sells her as a sustainability hack—one fabric sample digitized, zero waste. Yet her dark skin posed technical issues: 3D rendering tools, built for white features, struggled with her melanin-rich texture. Even in the metaverse, Blackness is an afterthought.

The Legacy

Love her or hate her, Shudu proved that controversy fuels relevance. Brands still book her (18 collabs in 2024 alone) because she’s a safe bet in the “diversity” checkbox era—no PR risks, just hashtags. Just let your creators take the heat while you cash the checks.

5. Kenza Layli (@kenza.layli)

Image credit: Instagram

Kenza Layli didn’t slowly become famous—she became famous very quickly. She is a Moroccan AI character who wears a hijab and won the Miss AI 2024 competition. But she’s not just a pretty digital face. She wants to change how people see women in technology.

Her Real Goal

Image credit: Instagram

Kenza post much about beauty, lifestyle and fashion trends. Her social media mixes:

• Moroccan culture stories
• Fashion photos (so good they could be in magazines)
• Messages encouraging Muslim women to join tech

Big companies like Hyundai and Bioderma work with her because she feels “real.” But in a world where even human influencers are more Photoshop than person, maybe Kenza's artificial honesty is the most authentic thing out there.

How She Wins

• Meaningful Photos, Not Just Selfies: Her hijab isn’t just clothing but actually a message about Muslim women in tech.
• Always Available: She talks to followers in 7 languages, all day and night (AI doesn’t need sleep!).
• Teamwork: 13 people at L’Atelier Digital & AI, led by Myriam Bessa, create her posts and keep her “personality” consistent. It's actually a full-time job to keep an AI influencer feeling "real."

Numbers That Matter

• 210,000+ Instagram followers
• Works with big brands like Hyundai
• Makes people talk about diversity in tech

Why She Matters

Kenza shows that you don’t need to be “real” to make a difference. She’s a computer program, but her message about including more women in tech is powerful. In a world where computers do more every day, Kenza proves that even AI can push for change.

6. Imma (@imma.gram)

Image credit: Instagram

Tokyo’s perfect AI punk. Imma’s bubblegum-pink bob and streetwear drip mask a ruthless agenda: prove AI can out-cool humans. Created by Aww Inc., she’s Japan’s answer to influencer fatigue—no scandals, no aging, just relentless trend-hopping.

Strategy: Be everywhere, belong nowhere.

• Fashion Chameleon: Partnered with Dior for a cyber-Kimono collab, then pivoted to Balenciaga’s dystopian runway along with other brands.
• Cultural Sabotage: Stars in J-pop videos, drops limited-edition NFTs, and “dates” human celebs for tabloid bait.
• Profit: Charges ¥1.2M ($8k) per post. Brands pay a premium to tap her Gen-Z cred without Tokyo’s influencer diva tax.

Imma isn’t real, but she makes people ask: Is your favorite influencer human or AI?

7. Noonoouri (@noonoouri)

Image credit: Instagram

A doll-faced Euro enigma. Created by German designer Joerg Zuber, Noonoouri weaponizes artificial naivety. She doesn’t speak—just posts couture-clad visuals with captions about “saving the planet.”

The Problem:

• Luxury Greenwashing: Partners with Gucci (“vegan leather!”) while ignoring their carbon footprint.
• Selective Activism: Poses with endangered species for WWF partnerships but stays silent about fashion waste.
• Revenue: €10k per post. Brands like Valentino bankroll her to tick “sustainability” boxes sans accountability.

Noonoouri is powerful because she says nothing. Brands use her to pretend they care. But the truth is that, sadly, ethics are just for show.

The Future of Influence

The future of influence isn’t human vs. AI but code wearing skin. By 2030, you can expect:

• Hyper-Personalized Puppets: AI clones tailored to your darkest biases, whispering purchases you’ll swear you chose freely.
• Ethical Blackholes: Virtual influencers lobbying for crypto scams, political agendas, or whatever pays best—no citizenship, no consequences.
• The Death of “Authentic”: Human influencers will cosplay as AI to seem “flawless,” while AI bots mimic human “quirks.”

The real question isn’t who you follow—it’s who’s following you. Every like you give trains their models. Every share funds their rise. Choose your digital overlords wisely.