TikTok reportedly plans to add AI influencers to platform

TikTok is reportedly planning to add AI avatars to the platform that could be used to make ads for the TikTok Shop.

According to a report from The Information, TikTok is working on bringing virtual influencers to the platform to help with ads for items in the app’s built-in shop.

The new feature would allow advertisers to generate a script from a provided prompt and create an AI influencer to be the face of the ad.

TikTok staff have reportedly been testing this feature, but they say that the AI avatars are not ready for release and attracted fewer e-commerce sales than videos made by human influencers in their testing.

Since the launch of the TikTok Shop, creators all over the world have used its commission program to earn significant amounts of money. Some products in the shop offer nearly $10 in commission per sale, so a single viral video could potentially change someones life financially.

If these AI influencers ever get added to the app, we’ll have to wait to see how the company plans to share sponsorship dollars with human influencers — if at all.

The app revealed new tags for AI-generated content back in September 2023, so at least if TikTok does through with this plan, there will be a way to tell that they’re fake.