- The German subsidiary of British telecom Vodafone used an AI influencer to advertise a promotion on its TikTok account, marking its most recent foray into AI-generated advertising. Last year, the company published an entirely AI-generated advertisement. The recent experiment by Vodafone comes as AI influencers become more commonplace online.
British telecom company Vodafone is testing the limits of technology by using an AI influencer in its advertisements.
In a video uploaded to the TikTok account of its German subsidiary, a young brunette woman can be seen talking up the company’s connectivity speeds and a 120-euro cashback promotion.
Yet, the woman doesn’t really exist. In reply to a user who picked up on the telltale signs of AI, including the disappearing and reappearing moles on her chin, the company noted that it was experimenting with the technology.
@vodafonedeutschland Jetzt Internet mit bis zu 1000 Mbit/s im Download für Dein Zuhause.
♬ Originalton – vodafone_de
“…we’re trying out different styles—as AI is now such a big part of everyday life, people are experimenting with it in advertising too,” the company responded in German.
The telecom company has in the past experimented with using AI in advertisements, including in an advertisement “The Rhythm of Life,” published last year. The advertisement started with a birth followed by miscellaneous images of a child playing video games, a person skydiving, and a wedding intertwined with Vodafone branding.
The ad was “100% AI-produced without a single real pixel,” Vodafone’s global senior brand identity and communications manager Amr El Badry told Ad Age in December 2024.
Vodafone did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.
Vodafone’s most recent TikTok experiment comes as AI influencers become more commonplace. One AI influencer, Lil Miquela, has 2.4 million followers and charges $73,920 per post, according to The New York Times.
Lil Miquela has taken selfies with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), has attended the VMAs, and complains on her Instagram about deepfakes of her proliferating online. In the background, the influencer is controlled by a team of people at tech company Dapper Labs.
Influencers are among the most recent jobs being challenged by AI. Recent studies have shown entry-level positions especially vulnerable to automation are being scaled back thanks to AI. A Stanford University study published last month found early-career workers in these fields have experienced a 13% decline in relative employment.
Even some of the people who helped create the technology for this latest AI-driven work revolution have warned about the potential for displacement. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei earlier this year made waves by predicting AI would eliminate half of all entry-level, white-collar jobs.
The “Godfather of AI” Geoffrey Hinton told the Financial Times “rich people are going to use AI to replace workers,” leading to a huge unemployment spike and record profits. Even Bill Gates, who has been generally optimistic on AI and encouraged Gen Z workers to experiment with it, said being experienced with AI may not prevent job displacement.
