Indian brands experiment with AI influencers while remaining cautious
Indian brands are testing out AI-generated influencers for their marketing, but it's still early days.
Most of these experiments are funded from existing social media budgets, and sectors like fashion, beauty, tech, and quick commerce are leading the charge.
As Ritesh Ujjwal from Kofluence puts it, interest in virtual creators is growing, but brands aren't ready to go all-in just yet.
Dozens use virtual influencers alongside humans
About 80 to 100 brands in India are currently trying out AI influencers.
They're mostly used alongside human creators (not as replacements) because while AI can crank out content quickly and cheaply (even in multiple languages), they haven't cracked the "trust" factor that real people bring.
That's why most campaigns with virtual influencers aim to spark curiosity rather than push big marketing goals.
Gaming, youth tech adopt virtual influencers
Gaming and youth-focused tech brands are jumping on the AI influencer trend more than others since their audiences already vibe with digital characters.
As Ritesh Ujjwal points out, "A single high-production celebrity creator shoot can exceed a mid-size D2C brand's entire campaign budget. A virtual influencer deployed across dozens of content pieces simultaneously, in different outfits, settings and formats, changes the production economics entirely."
This makes them especially appealing for young, digital-first companies.