A Guardian investigation says more major brands are using AI-generated content and “AI influencers” to promote products, often without telling consumers that the people in the videos are not real. The report says some creators who build these synthetic personalities are required to sign nondisclosure agreements, while regulators still have no clear rules forcing companies to disclose AI-made advertising. As a result, consumer groups warn that people can no longer trust what they see online.
One example is the photo app Once, which helps users create instant-film style images for events. According to analysis by the cybersecurity firm Reality Defender, the brand appears to have used AI-generated influencers in its marketing. In one Instagram clip, a crying bride says she used Once at her wedding and explains, “Everyone expected a no-phones wedding. So I gave them cameras instead.” The post was captioned as if the app were used by a real woman. Another AI-looking woman promoted the design app Maket, saying she could “kiss the interior designer” who showed it to her. Maket said AI influencers are only one of several small-scale creative tests and not a core part of its marketing strategy.
The Guardian also found that the Dubai-based fashion brand Ashle posted an image of a woman wearing its clothes that appeared to be AI-generated, including an extra finger. After being contacted by the newspaper, Ashle removed the images from social media. The company said its clothes are real, handmade and made to order, and that some early marketing visuals used AI during launch.
Which? Tech editor Lisa Barber said its deepfake research showed 70% of people worry they cannot tell real and fake videos apart, warning that consumers can be easily misled and targeted by scams. She called it alarming that people cannot trust online content and said companies must be transparent when using AI, especially in influencer-style campaigns. The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority said its rules do not explicitly ban brands from publishing AI-generated promotional content without disclosure.
Former celebrity manager Clarissa Mansbridge said she has seen major brands seeking hyper-realistic digital humans, and claimed that about 60% of online content, even from major global brands, is now made with AI. She said many creators are bound by NDAs and described the practice as “plausible denial.” She also said brands want premium imagery without paying about $70,000 for a traditional shoot. Leeds-based artist Zack Rossiter said a marketing agency recently offered to boost sales with an AI studio and proposed an AI unboxing video of one of his products, but he refused, saying, “I would never work with an agency that used fake AI unboxing videos over real people.”
