Inside the AI Influencer Economy: Monetization, Growth Tactics, and Tight-Knit Communities

1. Dozens of fictional AI-generated influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers are gaining traction on social media platforms.
2. Over 100 creators collaborate in the Discord group “Generative Dreamers” to share AI art resources and growth/monetization tactics.
3. Most creators struggle to make money so far, with adult content providing the most viable monetization route currently.
4. Despite difficulties, creators are persisting thanks to the tight-knit, mutually supportive community.
5. Creators hope AI influencers will become more mainstream and work with brands in the future.

There is a new type of online influencer that is gaining popularity – the AI-generated avatar. Dozens of these fictional characters, like Aika Kittie and Alexis Ivyedge, have amassed hundreds of thousands of Instagram and Twitter followers with their flawless yet eerie photos.

Behind these AI influencers are real creators collaborating in closed online communities like the Discord server “Generative Dreamers.” This group of over 100 members shares AI art resources and marketing techniques for expanding reach and making money. As one creator put it, some are pursuing this for artistic objectives while others see it as a business.

The Rise of AI Influencers: How Creators Make Money and Gain Followers

The most active collaboration channel enables creators to substitute their AI avatars into pre-made group photos, then post these “collab” images to Instagram for mutual growth. “It helps get some initial reach,” says one, noting it kickstarts follower counts for newcomers. More transactional growth services are also emerging – creators can pay popular accounts to “boost” them to higher milestones organically.

However, despite some AI influencers earning brand deals, most creators are struggling to monetize. The easiest route is creating adult content through sites like Fanvue, borrowing strategies from OnlyFans creator circles. But even then, success isn’t assured. “If I’m making 300 or 400 bucks a month, that’s pretty good already,” one creator notes.

Monetization difficulties aside, the creators plan to persist with AI content, buoyed by the supportive community. And while they currently rely on adult imagery, many hope to someday work with mainstream brands. If early adoption is any indicator, 2024 will see AI influencers continue to permeate the mainstream.

he rise of fictional AI influencers marks one of the first internet phenomena driven by independent AI creators collaborating in close-knit online circles. Groups like the Discord-based “Generative Dreamers” act as intimate incubators for this novel trend – members bond while pioneering AI monetization tactics through open dialogue.

Importantly, these communities embody a human-centric ethos around AI despite members creating fictional personas. Difficulties with mainstream brand deals or adult content preferences do not diminish the tight friendships, passions for the art, and support fueling creator persistence. If anything, such struggles only strengthen the circles.

This signals a departure from AI often depicted as threatening to human creatives. Instead, symbiotic circles blending human creativity with AI tools are emerging. The results are imperfect – influencers evoking the “uncanny valley” in their not-quite-lifelike-ness. Yet this reflects creators working to harness AI, not be replaced by it.

As AI capabilities grow more advanced, maintaining spaces fostering human creativity and intimate community support will remain crucial. The pioneers of fictional AI influencers and their bonded circles have shown it is not solely the technology itself that drives evolution, but rather the nurturing of human imagination complementing and directing it. What future online trends or subcultures might emerge from similar grassroots AI creative circles? The possibilities are as endless as human creativity itself.