Evaluating the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Influencer Marketing Through Product Perceptions and Virtual Personas

Abstract

Influencer marketing has emerged as a huge player in the realm of digital advertising in a short period of time due to the ever-increasing popularity of social media personalities and brands reorienting themselves towards online engagement. As technology continues to make changes in the way we are interacting online, artificial intelligence has come in as a game-changer to enhance the effectiveness of influencer promotions. More and more, AI tools are being used to help optimize the content generation process, improve targeting to their target audience, and help influencers manage their online presence more professionally. The emergence of virtual personas has also sparked consumer interest, as consumers are not only connecting with human influencers but also with AI-generated personas who influence the consumers' perception of product quality and brand trustworthiness. This study applies a quantitative approach in research and a non-probability approach to the use of convenience sampling. A structured questionnaire was the principal tool of data collection. The findings demonstrate that artificial intelligence has a positive role in influencer marketing growth. Key, independent factors such as celebrity endorsements, perceived quality of transactions, and virtual social presence had a strong positive link to influencer marketing when considered in light of artificial intelligence as a mediating factor. Statistical analyses were completed with the use of the program (SPSS) to verify these relationships. Overall, this research can give important insights to influencers and marketers to understand how artificial intelligence can improve the performance of their campaigns, while opening the door to new influencer identities based on artificial intelligence.