AI Influencers Are a Joke—And Meta’s Failure Proves It
AI is stepping into the beauty influencer game, and I’m not convinced. Last I checked, AI doesn’t have pores or wrinkles. AI doesn’t have dry patches in the winter and an oily T-zone in the summer. AI has never had to fight for its life to find the right shade of concealer at Sephora, especially if you are darker than a paper bag. So why, exactly, is AI supposed to be the future of beauty marketing?
This whole conversation was sparked by an article in Vogue Business titled How Will AI Change Beauty Careers?. The piece explores the growing role of AI in beauty, from product formulation to personalized recommendations and even AI-generated influencers. It raises an important question: can AI genuinely replace human expertise and personal touch in beauty marketing?
We already know that beauty brands love to hop on a trend whether it makes sense or not (hello, vibrating mascaras that did nothing), and right now, that trend is AI. L’Oréal is out here using AI to predict new product formulations. Companies are replacing human influencers with digital avatars that have never once known the struggle of blending out a contour line. And Meta?
Oh, they tried to get people to embrace AI influencers, and it flopped harder than when Taylor Swift did her version of September by Earth, Wind & Fire (Google at your own peril).
Meta’s AI Influencers Were a Hot, Glitchy Mess
Meta really thought they could create AI influencers and that we’d all just go along with it. They rolled out these digital influencers who were supposed to engage with people, recommend products, and be relatable. Because, you know, nothing says relatable like a bot with a perfectly symmetrical face that was designed in a lab.
And then? The whole thing tanked. Users hated it. The AI influencers were awkward, robotic (shocking!), and even spread misinformation. While some AI influencers faced backlash and adjustments, Meta still maintains AI-generated personas on its platforms, though they haven't gained widespread acceptance.
This is because beauty—unlike, say, buying a toaster—is personal. It’s cultural. It’s emotional. AI doesn’t know what it’s like to deal with hyperpigmentation or to spend years trying to find a nude lipstick that doesn’t make you look like you just ate powdered donuts. AI influencers may carve out a niche audience, but they are unlikely to replace the genuine connection that real beauty influencers build with their audiences. And that’s because people trust people, not pixels.
Consumers Trust AI for Stuff, But Not for Experiences
Studies prove what common sense already tells us—people are fine with AI making recommendations for things (like appliances or tech gadgets), but when it comes to experiences (like beauty, travel, or fashion), they want human input.
A study published in the Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing found that consumers are cool with AI telling them which phone to buy but still prefer a human’s opinion on which skincare routine to follow.
Research from California Management Review backs this up, showing that when it comes to emotional or subjective choices, people hesitate to trust AI.
In other words, if you want to know which serum has the highest concentration of vitamin C, AI can help. But if you want to know if that serum will actually make your skin glow instead of breaking you out like a high school sophomore or a woman in perimenopause, you’re going to ask a human.
The Future of Beauty Marketing: AI Can Assist, But Humans Will Always Win
AI isn’t going away, but instead of replacing beauty influencers, it’s more likely to complement their work by handling data-driven tasks. If brands were smart, they’d use AI to support human influencers instead of trying to replace them. Let AI do the boring stuff—like analyzing engagement rates or suggesting content formats—and leave the actual influencing to the people who know what they’re talking about.
If beauty brands want to stay relevant, they need to stop forcing AI influencers down our throats and start respecting what actually sells: authenticity, real reviews, and the kind of honesty that no machine can manufacture.
So no, AI isn’t taking over beauty marketing anytime soon. But if Meta wants to keep embarrassing itself, I’ll be right here with my popcorn, watching it all go down.