– and it’s an opportunity not to be missed, says Fanvue co-founder Will Monange
Matt Emma
| Contributor
For more than a decade, the creator economy has been hailed as the great democratizer of digital culture. It’s already a $250 billion market – a sum projected to nearly double by 2027.[1]
Millions of content creators, from fitness coaches to comedians and gamers to lifestyle gurus, now make a living on subscription creator platforms such as Fanvue, connecting with fans through their talents and passions.
But for all its promise, the industry has also revealed its cracks. Creators can wrestle with feast-or-famine income, grueling admin work, and platforms that too often siphon off value. The so-called “freedom” of online creativity often comes shackled to a 24/7 grind and limited earning opportunities. Will Monange, Co-Founder of subscription creator platform, Fanvue, believes the fix isn’t more hustle, but more help – from AI powered tools.
Monange said: “Content creators’ main source of income has traditionally come from brand deals, affiliate marketing, and selling their own products or services.
“This revenue stream often requires middlemen, who take a big cut and quite frankly, it’s becoming like the wild west. AI can put all the power in the hands of the creator, enabling them to own their success fully.” Fanvue, which was just named Fastest-Growing Company of the Year, Europe, at the 2025 International Business Awards™, has invested heavily in AI engineers to help the platform define a whole new category in the creator economy: The Creator AI Economy.
Monange said: “Creators are turning their attention to AI tools because they know it’s a faster, more independent route to growing their fanbases at scale, and keeping more upside.
“In that way, AI democratises the creator economy. The technology isn’t here to replace creators, it’s here to give them more ownership over their businesses”.
AI has become a taboo topic in the creative industries, and fears over machines replacing human ingenuity is a well-documented territory. But among content creators, its role is starting to look less dystopian, and much more pragmatic.
Nearly a quarter of content creators already use AI to streamline workflows, according to Net Influencer.[2] Fanvue is home to over 180,000 creators globally – who are using bespoke AI tools to engage with fans, schedule posts and crunch analytics to help them scale their business and earn more.
It’s the kind of behind-the-scenes demands that eat up the very hours needed for actual creativity. This shift reframes AI less as a rival to creators and more as their back-office support.
AI Influencers entering the mainstream
Perhaps the most headline-grabbing example of AI’s impact is the rise of digital influencers – virtual personalities with their own followings and brand partnerships. Aitana Lopez, the pink-haired creation from Barcelona-based studio TheClueless, now has hundreds of thousands of fans and a growing livestream presence.[3]
Fanvue has been quick to on-board lifestyle AI Influencers such as Aitana Lopez, Seren Ay and Olivia C – alongside human creators using AI tools on the platform. For Monange, the real story isn’t the uncanny avatars themselves, but what they represent.
He added: “Regardless of your background, if you’re passionate and have a desire to create, you can now connect with fans at scale and earn more than was possible before – and AI enables that.”
The real prize: freedom
Monange, alongside his Co-Founder and former YouTuber, Joel Morris, are bullish their decision to “own” the Creator AI Economy is going to unlock the earnings potential of millions of creators.
Monange said: “The Fanvue vision is clear. AI is not replacing human creativity – it’s about preserving it, by stripping away the noise, and giving creators an ecosystem of AI powered tools so they have more ownership of their careers.
“For millions of creators around the world, the most radical promise of AI isn’t more content. It’s freedom.
“Freedom from burnout, freedom from bottlenecks and the freedom to spend their time on the work only they can do.”
[2] https://www.netinfluencer.com/bereal-the-creator-economy-ma-landscape-in-2024/
[3] https://tkc.in/rise-of-virtual-models-a-new-challenge-for-influencers-in-2024/