British telecom company Vodafone is testing the limits of technology by using an AI influencer in its advertisements.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In a video uploaded to the TikTok account of its German subsidiary, a young brunette woman can be seen talking up the company\u2019s connectivity speeds and a 120-euro cashback promotion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yet, the woman doesn\u2019t really exist. In reply to a user who picked up on the telltale signs of AI, including the disappearing and reappearing moles on her chin, the company noted that it was experimenting with the technology.\u00a0<\/p>\n
@vodafonedeutschland<\/a> <\/p>\n Jetzt Internet mit bis zu 1000 Mbit\/s im Download f\u00fcr Dein Zuhause. \u266c Originalton \u2013 vodafone_de<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201c\u2026we\u2019re trying out different styles\u2014as AI is now such a big part of everyday life, people are experimenting with it in advertising too,\u201d the company responded in German.\u00a0<\/p>\n The telecom company has in the past experimented with using AI in advertisements, including in an advertisement \u201cThe Rhythm of Life,\u201d published last year. The advertisement started with a birth followed by miscellaneous images of a child playing video games, a person skydiving, and a wedding intertwined with Vodafone branding.\u00a0<\/p>\n The ad was \u201c100% AI-produced without a single real pixel,\u201d Vodafone\u2019s global senior brand identity and communications manager Amr El Badry told Ad Age<\/a> in December 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n Vodafone did not immediately respond to Fortune\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n Vodafone\u2019s most recent TikTok experiment comes as AI influencers become more commonplace. One AI influencer, Lil Miquela<\/a>, has 2.4 million followers and charges $73,920 per post, according to The New York Times.<\/p>\n Lil Miquela has taken selfies with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), has attended the VMAs, and complains on her Instagram<\/a> about deepfakes of her proliferating online. In the background, the influencer is controlled by a team of people at tech company Dapper Labs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Influencers are among the most recent jobs\u00a0being challenged by AI. Recent studies have shown entry-level positions especially vulnerable to automation are being scaled back thanks to AI. A Stanford University study<\/a> published last month found early-career workers in these fields have experienced a 13% decline in relative employment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even some of the people who helped create the technology for this latest AI-driven work revolution have warned about the potential for displacement. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei earlier this year made waves by predicting AI would eliminate<\/a> half of all entry-level, white-collar jobs.\u00a0<\/p>\n The \u201cGodfather of AI\u201d Geoffrey Hinton told<\/a> the Financial Times \u201crich people are going to use AI to replace workers,\u201d leading to a huge unemployment spike and record profits. Even Bill Gates, who has been generally optimistic on AI and encouraged Gen Z workers to experiment with it, said being experienced with AI may not prevent job displacement<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n Fortune Global Forum returns Oct. 26\u201327, 2025 in Riyadh. CEOs and global leaders will gather for a dynamic, invitation-only event shaping the future of business. Apply for an invitation.<\/a>