Influencers Are All Using AI for Content Now — So What Should Brands Do?

A few days ago, I saw a number that made me pause.

92%.

That's not a GDP growth rate. It's not some app's retention rate. It's a single line from Billion Dollar Boy's 2024 Creator Economy AI Report: 92% of marketers have already commissioned creator content that was fully or partially produced with generative AI.

My first reaction: it's already that high?

Then I read the next line: 91% of creators use generative AI at least once a week.

Every week. At least once. Basically, everyone's on it.

But That's Not What Really Surprised Me

What surprised me was a different set of numbers.

60% of consumers prefer AI-generated content over "handmade" creator content.

Think about how counterintuitive that is.

We always assumed consumers wanted "authenticity." A real person, on camera, speaking from the heart. But they're voting with their feet to tell you: No, I actually prefer the AI-made stuff.

Why?

Mike Nellis, founder of Quiller.ai, said something that cuts right to the root of it: This technology lets creators produce content that is faster, more precise, and more personalized.

Put simply — it hits the sweet spot.

Whose sweet spot? Yours.

AI can turn one-size-fits-all into hyper-personalized. One person's bandwidth is limited, but AI's isn't. It can clone a single creator into a hundred versions, each matched to a different audience segment. Every audience sees something that feels "made just for me."

81% of creators say their AI content gets higher engagement than traditional content.

That's a number you can't unsee.

So, Is Traditional Content Dead?

No.

Becky Owen, Global CMO of Billion Dollar Boy, said something I thought was spot on. AI content helps you "cut through the noise," she said, but traditional content is "the deepening part" — the part where you actually build connection.

Let me paint a picture.

You walk into a party.

AI content is like waving at someone from across the room — it gets everyone to notice you, to turn their heads. But whether you actually walk over and strike up a conversation, whether you make a real friend — that still depends on whether you, as a person, are interesting. Whether you have stories worth telling.

AI does the waving. The conversation still needs a real person.

John Geletka, founder of Geletka+, put it even more bluntly — AI content is still an "underutilized asset," not a threat to traditional content.

I agree. The real winners won't be the ones who "use AI" or "don't use AI." They'll be the ones who use AI without losing themselves.

And Then, the Money Started Moving

This is the part every marketer should be watching most closely.

Two numbers from the report:

65% of marketers plan to shift budget from other channels into generative-AI-powered creator content within the next 12 months.

70% of marketers expect to move budget from traditional creator content to AI-powered creator content.

One side goes up. The other goes down.

This is a real migration of capital.

And what about the 9% of creators who still aren't using AI? Becky Owen didn't mince words — brand demand is climbing, consumer engagement is climbing, and the pay is likely climbing with them. Those 9% will, in all likelihood, be forced to level up their skills.

Yes, forced.

The market doesn't wait for anyone.

But the Pitfalls Are Right There Too

Amanda Ferrante, Chief Growth Officer at Code3, raised a point I think every brand should hear.

She said a lot of people have this illusion — they think creators using AI means "push a button and the video just appears."

It doesn't work that way.

Most AI applications today are still quite granular. Using ChatGPT to draft a script outline. Using automated captioning tools to add text. Using Descript to edit a video from the transcript. Using Photoshop's Generative Fill to extend a background. Every single step still needs a human watching, tweaking, refining.

So her advice to brands is this: figure out exactly where in the process your creator is using AI.

Why does it matter? Brand safety.

AI-generated content can go off the rails. It can infringe on copyrights. It can say things it shouldn't. If the creator's team doesn't have a solid review process, all of that risk ultimately lands on the brand's shoulders.

Her solution is concrete — before signing anything, nail down "how AI is used, what the workflow looks like, where the red lines are," and put it in the contract.

Michael Heaven, co-founder of Butterfly 3ffect, added another layer: the training data underneath the AI model is the true source. Brands need to understand where that data comes from — otherwise they don't even know what soil their content is growing in.

So, Who Actually Wins?

Chris Jacks, Director of Growth Strategy at HireInfluence, said something I want to bookmark for you:

Social media has always rewarded quality, not quantity.

AI has made "high output" effortless. Cranking out 50 posts a week isn't hard anymore.

But 50 forgettable pieces will never beat one that genuinely lands.

Slapping AI on top doesn't make content better by default.

The real winners will be the creators who treat AI as leverage — who use it to amplify what makes them unique. They let AI handle the repetitive work, then pour the saved time back into deeper insights, better storytelling, and a truer version of themselves.

Stripped down, here's the whole picture:

The tools have changed. The craft hasn't.

Whoever's core is solid, holds their ground.

I don't know where this migration ends up by 2026. But I do know one thing — those 9% of creators still sitting out AI had better get a move on. It won't be AI that replaces them. It'll be the market.