Co-AI-chella! AI influencers cash in on the California music festival

AI influencers are cashing in on Coachella, with some set to make tens of thousands from their content. 

Among the celebrities and content creators, you may have noticed a surge in festival content from digital influencers.

These glamourous men and women post photos and videos with celebrities, in front of the famous Coachella Ferris wheel, and decked out in carefully curated outfits.

But the thing is, they don’t even exist – let alone attend the festival. 

‘COACHELLA. BESTIE EDITION. Best day with youuuuu,’ @its_gigi_mae captioned a photo of her walking through the festival grounds with another AI–generated friend.  

@grannyspills posted photos with Kylie Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, and Kendall Jenner, joking: ‘The girls stopped by my section!’, while @digitallucas posted a topless photo, writing: ‘Coachella vibes all weekend.’

Now, experts have revealed to the Daily Mail just how much the people behind these accounts could be raking in.

‘AI influencers could earn well over $40,000 from a combination of subscriber revenue and brand endorsements for posting content during Coachella,’ said Lewis Davey, founder of AI influencer talent management agency, Pixel. 

A quick search on Instagram uncovers dozens of AI influencers profiting off Coachella content. 

@lilmiquela, who boasts a whopping 2.3 million followers, posted a carousel of photos to her page, including one of her posing in front of the Ferris wheel.

‘I lived an entire life in one weekend tbh. @coachella I will never forget you,’ she captioned the post. 

‘First weekend of Coachellaaa recap,’ @ammarathegoat said to her 173,000 followers on Instagram, alongside a photo appearing to show her with Justin and Hailey Bieber.

And @fit_aitana, who has 392,000 followers, posted a set of photos from the festival, writing: ‘@coachella you’ve been wild! Until next year.’

With AI photo and video editing tools getting more advanced by the day, many of these images appear to have fooled unsuspecting viewers on Instagram. 

‘The amount of people that don’t realize this is an AI account is actually scaring me so bad,’ one user commented on one of @grannyspills’ photos. 

‘No way yall think this is real,’ one added on @ammarathegoat’s Instagram Reel. 

And one joked on @lilmiquela’s snaps: ‘Are you made of pixels? Because you’re unreal.’

Piggybacking off big events like Coachella is a ‘smart tactic’ for these AI influencers, according to Mr Davey.  

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: ‘AI influencers are increasingly showing up in big cultural moments because it drives relevance amongst their audience and helps align them with the coolest moments in the calendar. 

‘It’s a smart tactic, that’s gaining traction in front of brands who’d traditionally pay real influencers a fortune to attend these events and capture content. 

‘Now brands can collab with AI influencers, access their followers, and “show–up” at events without the need for a physical presence.’ 

Mr Davey highlights Aitana Lopez, the world’s first million dollar AI influencer. 

‘[She] “attended” Coachella, sharing her experience with fans – that can then access exclusive behind the scenes content on subscription platforms like Fanvue,’ he said.

With the people behind these accounts set to fetch well over $40,000 (£29,400) from such events, AI influencers are set to become staple features across social media.

In fact, this month alone, over 2,500 have entered the Fanvue x OpenArt AI Personality of the Year Awards, dubbed the ‘Oscars for AI Influencers’. 

The winners will earn themselves over $90,000 (£66,000) in prizes, proving their growing lucrative commercial potential. 

‘It’s a fast–growing space that will revolutionise how brands market themselves in the future and the earnings potential for AI creators is huge,’ Mr Davey added.