For years, CGI-generated virtual influencers have been shilling brands, enjoying lavish lifestyles, and amassing substantial followings on social media. So it was probably inevitable that influencer culture would soon be sucked into the AI craze. Indeed, earlier this year, one influencer created an AI chatbot version of herself that she rented out as a $1-per-minute “virtual girlfriend.” Now things are getting even weirder. Thanks to the advent of AI-powered image generators like Stable Diffusion and Midjourney, some are now fabricating entire feeds of internet personalities that don’t actually exist. The result is a fascinating journey through the uncanny valley: haunting Twitter and Instagram feeds showing these AI-generated influencers — virtually all taking the form of conventionally attracted women — posing and preening in virtual thirst traps, to the delight of sometimes tens of thousands of seemingly human fans. Maybe we can’t blame them; aside from considerable amounts of skin-smoothing and repetitive backgrounds, both hallmarks of AI image generators, it’s a surprisingly convincing illusion. Take an account going by the name of “Milla Sofia,” for instance, described as a “19-year-old virtual girl from Helsinki, Finland,” who has amassed tens of thousands of followers on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Good Morning. Making memories by the crystal-clear waters of Bora Bora.#bora #borabora #sea #sun #vacationmode #gm #sundayvibes pic.twitter.com/OAIDTEtEaZ — Milla Sofia (@AiModelMilla) June 11, 2023 Almost every one of her scantily-clad portraits showing her posing in a predictable mish-mash of holiday destinations and sandy beaches is garnering thousands of likes and hundreds of comments, and…Fully AI-Generated Influencers Are Getting Thousands of Reactions Per Thirst Trap