While virtual influencers often go viral, much less is known about the creators behind these digital entities. When the public does find out, it can spark controversy. The creators behind virtual influencers are sometimes accused of creating and giving voice to characters whose identities and experiences they don’t share. Take Shudu, often called the world’s first digital supermodel. She is depicted as a Black woman but was created in 2017 by Cameron-James Wilson, a White man. As Shudu landed work with major brands, critics accused Wilson of profiting from Black beauty while real Black models missed out on paid opportunities. In 2022, a similar backlash hit FN Meka, a virtual rapper depicted as a Black man. Capitol Records dropped FN Meka less than two weeks after signing him, following criticism that the character traded in racial stereotypes. The label apologized to the Black community for not asking enough questions about the creative process behind the project.

Other creators have taken the opposite approach, building virtual influencers with the communities they represent. Kami, billed as the world’s first virtual influencer with Down syndrome, launched in 2022 using photos and videos from more than 100 young women with Down syndrome, whose faces were blended into a single image that 3D artists used as her foundation. A panel of these women helps decide what Kami posts and wears, and the project has generated paid work for young women with Down syndrome. Notably, Kami was developed with The Diigitals, the digital modeling agency founded by Shudu’s creator, Cameron-James Wilson.

Cases like these raise a question brands and audiences are still working through: when a virtual influencer represents a community, who gets to speak for it, and who gets paid?

Sources:
TODAY.com. (2022, December 13). Who is Shudu? AI model is reigniting debate around technology, beauty and race.
Hearing, A. (2022, August 24). Capitol Records forced to drop its artificial-intelligence-created rapper after just one week following ‘gross stereotypes’ backlash. Fortune.
MusicTech. Capitol Records drops AI rapper FN Meka following accusations of racism.
VirtualHumans.org. (2022, May 24). Kami is the first virtual influencer with Down syndrome.
The One Club. Down Syndrome International | Kami.