It's no secret that AI models are killing it online these days. Fitness model Aitana Lopez has over 300,000 followers on Instagram and she's not even a real person, Emilly Pelegrini, another digital influencer, has been dubbed the world's hottest model, and "perfect girlfriend" Lexi Love earns over $30,000 a month by acting as a romantic interest for lonely people. Now, another virtual influencer is making news headlines because of her popularity as a travel model. Lily Rain's profile on subscription-based social platform Fanvue shows the attractive young woman in various eye-catching locations around the world, but the fact that these photos are entirely the work of artificial intelligence doesn't seem to bother her legions of fans.
"Lily is a prime example of a creator filling a gap in the travel influencer space," Lily's creator told The Daily Star. "She can create idyllic, picturesque photos without the long journey times and added travel costs – and leverage different seasons to engage her audience. Using the seasons and trendy trips to tailor content and monetize it is big business. Lily can appear like a Kardashian enjoying her yearly ski trip in the best mountain resorts money can buy."
Many human travel models are still more popular than digital competitors like Lily Rain, but they actually have to put in a lot of work for their fanbase. They have to invest considerable resources into traveling expenses, appropriate makeup, and wardrobes for every season and location, they need to make travel plans and keep a tight schedule. AI models like Lily can show up in stunning photos in exotic locations with just a few clicks from their creators.
According to Fanvue, Lily Rain generates around $20,000 in revenue every month, and she is expected to become a lot more profitable as AI becomes more mainstream. And she's not the only one driving the AI push. Will Monange, CEO and Founder of Fanvue, claims that AI creators contributed 15% of Fanvue's revenue, a 100% increase from the previous month, and that contribution is expected to rise significantly going forward.
Apparently, AI-powered digital influencers have become so popular that some aspiring human models are complaining about having to compete against these perfect-looking avatars.
