MenuClose

AI influencer statistics: what is sourced, what is not

The AI influencer statistics you can trace come from a few surveys. In Canada, 67% trust AI influencers less than human ones and 78% want them labelled. Market sizes are forecasts that disagree by tens of billions. Many figures on roundup pages have no source we could find. Each number below says who measured it, how and when.

Checked · 32 figures · 8 without a traceable source, marked as such

  • Trust: 67% of Canadians trust AI influencers' recommendations less than humans', and 45% of Clutch's 2026 sample would not knowingly trust one.
  • Labels: 78% of Canadians and nearly 90% of Clutch's sample want AI content clearly labelled.
  • How many exist: nobody knows. We found no platform that publishes a count.
  • Market size: forecasts for 2026 alone range from $11.74 billion to over $30 billion.
SurveyMeasured on accountsCompany figureCount or listEstimateNo traceable source

Do people trust AI influencers?

Many say they do not. In Canada, 67% trust their recommendations less than human influencers' and 57% would be less likely to buy. In a 2026 survey by Clutch, 45% would not knowingly trust one.

  • Survey

    67%

    trust AI influencers' recommendations somewhat or a lot less than human influencers'

    Caddle for Ad Standards, 2,242 people in Canada, 29 October 2025

    Asked of everyone, although only 37% said they were aware of AI influencers.

    Caddle for Ad Standards — Influencer Marketing Report 2025, 29 Oct 2025

  • Survey

    57%

    would be less likely to buy if they knew an influencer was AI-generated

    Caddle for Ad Standards, 2,242 people in Canada, 29 October 2025

    12% said they would be more likely to buy. The question is about intention, not real purchases.

    Caddle for Ad Standards — Influencer Marketing Report 2025, 29 Oct 2025

  • Survey

    45%

    would not knowingly engage with or trust AI influencers

    Clutch, a B2B services marketplace, 601 consumers, August 2026

    The press release does not name the country or give the question. The link to the full report returned "not found" on 5 October 2026.

    Clutch — AI social media report (press release), 8 Sept 2026

  • Survey

    71%

    would question a human influencer's recommendation if AI was used to create their content

    Clutch, 601 consumers, August 2026

    About human influencers who use AI, not about AI characters.

    Clutch — AI social media report (press release), 8 Sept 2026

  • Survey

    35%

    say they now rely on influencers less for shopping information and recommendations because of AI

    Gartner, 1,006 consumers in the US, May to June 2026

    About AI-generated content in general, not AI influencers. In the same survey 43% said they now rely more on real people.

    Gartner — 35% of consumers rely on influencers less due to AI, 22 Sept 2026

Do people want AI influencers to be labelled?

Yes, clearly. 78% of Canadians agree that AI influencers should say they are AI, and Clutch found nearly 90% want AI content disclosed.

How many people follow or know AI influencers?

Fewer than the famous "58% follow one" suggests. That figure is a 2022 survey by an influencer agency. In Canada in 2025, only 37% had even heard of AI influencers.

  • Survey

    37%

    answered yes to "Are you aware of AI influencers?"

    Caddle for Ad Standards, 2,242 people in Canada, 29 October 2025

    38% said no and 25% were unsure.

    Caddle for Ad Standards — Influencer Marketing Report 2025, 29 Oct 2025

  • Survey

    58%

    follow at least one virtual influencer

    The Influencer Marketing Factory, an influencer marketing agency, 1,044+ US adults, March 2022

    Four years old. The page does not say how "virtual influencer" was explained to people, and the agency sells influencer campaigns.

    The Influencer Marketing Factory — Virtual Influencers Survey, 29 Mar 2022

  • Survey

    35%

    have bought a product or service promoted by a virtual influencer

    The Influencer Marketing Factory, 1,044+ US adults, March 2022

    All ages, not only Gen Z. Some roundups now quote it as a Gen Z figure.

    The Influencer Marketing Factory — Virtual Influencers Survey, 29 Mar 2022

  • No traceable source

    58%

    of US consumers follow at least one virtual influencer, "according to HypeAuditor survey data"

    A statistics roundup, May 2026

    The 58% is the 2022 survey by The Influencer Marketing Factory, not HypeAuditor. No link is given.

    SQ Magazine — AI influencer statistics, 17 May 2026

  • No traceable source

    35%

    of Gen Z respondents report buying a product promoted by a virtual personality

    The same roundup, May 2026

    The only 35% we found is the 2022 figure for all adults in the same agency survey.

    SQ Magazine — AI influencer statistics, 17 May 2026

How many AI influencers are there?

Nobody knows. We found no platform that publishes a count of AI accounts. The numbers that exist are curated lists and contest entries.

Do AI influencers get more engagement?

The only public study we found is from 2020: HypeAuditor measured 88 virtual accounts on Instagram and found almost three times the engagement rate of human influencers.

  • Measured on accounts

    Almost 3×

    the engagement rate of real influencers

    HypeAuditor, 88 virtual influencer accounts on Instagram, November 2020

    A measurement of public accounts, not a poll. Six years old, before AI-generated personas were common.

    HypeAuditor — The top Instagram virtual influencers in 2020, 9 Nov 2020

  • Measured on accounts

    48%

    of virtual influencers had negative follower growth over the last six months

    HypeAuditor, 88 accounts, November 2020

    Same study, and the same age.

    HypeAuditor — The top Instagram virtual influencers in 2020, 9 Nov 2020

  • No traceable source

    5.67% vs 1.89%

    engagement rate of virtual influencer campaigns against human ones in 2026

    A statistics roundup, credited to "HypeAuditor's panel data"

    No HypeAuditor page is linked, and we found none that gives these numbers.

    SQ Magazine — AI influencer statistics, 17 May 2026

How much of Fanvue's money comes from AI creators?

The only dated figure is 15% of Fanvue's revenue in November 2023, reported by Fortune. The same 15% still circulates in 2025 as a current share, with no source.

  • Company figure

    15%

    of Fanvue's total revenue in November 2023 came from AI creators

    Reported by Fortune in February 2024

    One month, almost three years ago. Fortune does not say who supplied the 15%.

    Fortune — AI influencers are making their secretive creators thousands, 21 Feb 2024

  • No traceable source

    ~15%

    of Fanvue's GMV comes from fully AI-generated influencers

    Sacra, an analyst firm, June 2025

    No source is given. It is the same number as the November 2023 figure.

    Sacra — Fanvue at $65M ARR, 3 Jun 2025

How big is the AI influencer market?

Nobody measures it directly. Market research firms sell forecasts, and theirs disagree: for 2030, Grand View Research says $45.88 billion and The Business Research Company says $62.83 billion. Several figures in circulation match no publisher's own page.

Every market size we could trace, by the year it is for. For 2026 alone the figures run from $11.74 billion to over $30 billion. Dashed bars have no traceable source.
  1. 2018$4.6 bn Bold Creators Club, quoted by The Influencer Marketing Factory
  2. 2024$6.33 bn Straits Research
  3. 2025$11.24 bn The Business Research Company
  4. 2026$11.74 bn SQ Magazine, credited to The Business Research Company no traceable source
  5. 2026$15.94 bn The Business Research Company
  6. 2026Over $30 bn AI Personality of the Year Awards press release, "experts" no traceable source
  7. 2030$45.88 bn Grand View Research
  8. 2030$62.83 bn The Business Research Company
  9. 2032$154.6 bn SQ Magazine, credited to The Business Research Company no traceable source
  10. 2033$111.78 bn Straits Research

SourceMarket research firms and the pages that quote them, listed belowchecked

Who ran the surveys

Four surveys carry most of the useful numbers on this page. What the company sells matters, because it decides which question gets asked.

SurveyWhat the company doesPeople askedWhen
GartnerResearch and advice for companies1,006 consumers, USMay to June 2026
ClutchA marketplace for B2B service providers601 consumers, country not statedAugust 2026
Caddle for Ad StandardsAd Standards is Canada's advertising self-regulator2,242 people, Canada29 October 2025
The Influencer Marketing FactoryInfluencer marketing campaigns1,044+ adults, USMarch 2022

How to check an AI influencer statistic before you quote it

  1. Open the source it credits. If there is no link, search the company's site for the number. Most of the untraceable figures above failed here.
  2. Find the sample and the date. A survey of 601 people in 2026 and one of 1,044 in 2022 are not the same fact.
  3. Read what was asked. "Rely on influencers less because of AI" is not "distrust AI influencers".
  4. Check who paid for it. An agency that sells influencer campaigns has a reason to find that people follow influencers.
  5. Quote the oldest version you can open, with its limits. The same habit applies to income figures, which is why every income claim about famous AI influencers is traced separately.

For what the platforms themselves publish, see how much AI influencers make on Fanvue and the AI label matrix, which lists what each platform asks you to label. If a figure here is wrong or you know an older source, tell us and we correct it with the date on the corrections page.

5,857+ members

In our Discord, people who build AI influencers help each other. It is free, and you can read everything right away.

Join the DiscordWhat is inside the server