Cameron-James Wilson, for instance, has been vocal about creating Shudu, one of the world’s first digital supermodels. Wilson created Shudu, inspired by the South African Princess Barbie, in 2017. Now, he’s CEO of The Diigitals, an all-digital modeling agency.
When Shudu went viral, Wilson said he found it important to clarify she wasn’t real.
If “I kept that a secret, the majority of people might think she’s a real person,” Wilson said. “There needs to be a level of awareness about that with technology. I think that has potential to be abused.”
Likewise, Joerg Zuber has been open about creating Noonoouri, a CGI influencer whose brand partnerships include high-end fashion lines like Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga and Valentino.
“I decided for myself, if people ask me who’s behind it, I definitely tell them the truth,” Zuber said. “If they don’t ask, I just let it flow. I wouldn’t say there is kind of a recipe how to do that.”
Miquela debuted on Instagram in 2016, but Brud thrust her into the spotlight last year by staging a fake hijacking of her account by her CGI rival Bermuda. When Miquela regained control of her account, the forever-19-year-old opened up about her origins in an emotional post.
Miquela also called out Brud for lying to her about who she really was.
“I’m so upset and afraid,” she added. “The more I feel those feelings the worse it gets. These emotions are just a computer program. But yet they still hurt.”
The people behind Brud have kept the company’s internet presence scarce, with only a modest Instagram page and a website linking to a one-page Google document. The document describes Brud as “a transmedia studio that creates digital character driven story worlds” and names Sara DeCou and Trevor McFedries as its founders.
“We all kind of know what they’re doing, but they haven’t let down their guard,” she said. “That’s part of the intrigue. They know once the veil is lifted, the intrigue is gone.”
She added: “Also, if you know too much about them, then little Miquela can’t really shine.
USA TODAY’s requests for comment to Brud have not been returned.
Will CGI influencers replace human influencers?
The advent of the CGI influencer raises questions about the future of human influencers and what social media has become.
“I think they can coexist,” he said. “I think there’s plenty of room for both to thrive and do well in the marketplace.”
Varshavski became an influencer when his Instagram account earned him a viral reputation as “the hot doctor” in 2015. The way he sees it, the ability for CGI influencers to be controlled to perfection may be their downfall.
“There’s something magical and interesting watching a human live their lives because humans are imperfect, and that sort of imperfection is really what makes being a human special,” he said. “They can both live together harmoniously and help the field thrive even further.”
Zuber said he never intended his CGI creation Noonoouri to replace the human influencer.
“I don’t want to substitute real humans,” he said. “What Noonoouri is doing is she is enriching and enhancing maybe an existing campaign together with a person and to see how things are being transported through her eyes into life.”
Is Social media a fantasy world anyway?
For Wilson, just because CGI influencers aren’t real doesn’t mean they don’t have a place on social media. After all, he said, hasn’t social media always been a haven for people to make believe?
“It’s a kind of fantasy world anyway, so what difference does it make throwing CGI into it?” he said.
According to Chowdhary, the presence of CGI influencers on Instagram calls attention to the desire to project perfection on social media.
“CGI is almost poking fun about that polished look,” she said. “This is a fake person, but so is a super polished, human person on social media. You don’t know their intentions better than you would little Miquela’s.”
A future of CGI
Two days after her tearful breakup, Miquela lets her followers know she’s “still heartbroken over angel boi”. But trying to move on. And what better way to do that than with a sound healing session at Unplug Meditation?
“Trying to ground myself with some sound healing,” she wrote on Instagram, tagging the business. “Hope this works ~ I don’t know what else to do.”
It’s unclear if Unplug Meditation sponsored this post. But what is clear is how much Miquela’s break-up resonates with her fans.
“after my breakup with my ex, meditation was the only thing that could kept me function, stay strong girl,” one user commented.
“u dont know what love is until u experience heart break. u just have to remember that every time u get hurt u r one step closer to the one u r destined to be with babygirl,” wrote another. “keep on keeping on.”
“Love sound healing,” another wrote. “that should help your broken heart.”
That last comment earned a reply from Miquela, who wrote, “I def feel like its working!”
For Pacom, a future that sees CGI influencers the same as humans does not look bright.
“It’s the person, talking with someone who looks like them, but who is the production of about 10 or 15 very intelligent adults with the sole purpose to manipulate them, to make of these young people consumers,” she said.
Though it’s too late to change course, Pacom encourages Instagram users to think critically.
“It’s already happening, so we cannot stop it. The only thing we can do is to create a critical perspective on it,” she said.