Article
AI Characters vs. Virtual Influencers
A common confusion
When discussing AI characters, a common question is “How are they different from virtual influencers?” The two can look similar and overlap in venue, making confusion natural. But there is a fundamental difference between them.
What is a virtual influencer
A virtual influencer is a fictional character created in CG or 3D modeling who acts on SNS like a human influencer. Famous examples include Lil Miquela and imma.
Characteristics:
- The character’s appearance is created in CG
- Post content (text, photos, video, etc.) is created by a human creator team
- Revenue typically comes from brand tie-ups and ads
- The character’s “personality” is designed and performed by humans
The difference from AI characters
The essential difference is “who generates the character’s behavior.”
For a virtual influencer, all utterances and actions are planned and produced by a human team. For an AI character, AI technology is at the core of behavior.
Comparison
| Virtual Influencer | AI Character | |
|---|---|---|
| Behavior generation | Human team | AI at the core |
| Role of AI technology | Auxiliary (e.g., CG creation) | Core (conversation, voice, action) |
| Autonomy | Low | High (varies) |
| Main venue | SNS | Broadcasts, chat, SNS, etc. |
| History | Since around 2016 | Mainstream since around 2022 |
Summary
Virtual influencers and AI characters look similar but differ in “how the character moves at the root.” The former is operated by humans; the latter is driven by AI. This difference will become clearer with future technological progress.
Our scope is the latter — characters where AI technology is at the core.