Is artificial intelligence making social media more dangerous? With online personalities increasingly dictating the way many of us live our lives, we are firmly in the age of the influencer. And with the advent of AI influencers, longstanding concerns about unrealistic beauty standards or unattainable lifestyle goals, are being argued even more strenuously by critics of the industry. But are the feeds of these AI-generated models any less 'real' than the enhanced profiles we have been exposed to for years? On today's episode, Lucy Hockings is joined by the BBC's cyber correspondent Joe Tidy. He reveals all on his recent trip to meet the creators of one of the world's most successful AI influencers, Aitana... Producers: Laurie Kalus and Mariana Hernández Carrillo Sound engineer: Mike Regaard Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson
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Hello, I'm Lucy Hawkings from the BBC World Service.
This is the global story.
We live in a world of influencers.
Whether it's our skincare routine, the clothes we wear or the places we visit on holiday, social media celebrities are shaping our everyday choices.
But as technology advances, the lucrative influencer industry is being reshaped by models created using artificial intelligence.
And with some AI influencers accumulating massive followings, critics are raising questions from the unrealistic beauty standards they could set to the accountability of anonymous creators.
So as AI models seem certain to play an increasingly prominent role online, are developers conscious of the ethical questions?
And are users equipped to decipher what's real from what's artificial intelligence?
With me Today is the BBC's cyber correspondent, Joe Tidy.
Hi, Jo.
Hi, Jo.
I think if we were all asked, we would confess that we've tried products, restaurants, clothes, listened to music, all sorts of things, because we've seen it on social media.
We are all, at the moment being shaped, it seems, by influencers at some stage.
Oh, yeah, I think so.
I think if you say that you're influencer immune, then you're probably lying, aren't you?
Because there are certain people and characters and celebrities that we look up to or are interested in and they have got absolutely enormous followings.
So even if you weren't directly impacted, what you might find is that that someone in your life has been impacted by them.