<p>Enabled by artificial intelligence, virtual influencers have emerged as prominent figures on social media. Similar to human influencers, virtual influencers are increasingly leveraging their influence to engage in philanthropy, such as launching charitable campaigns. However, how individuals respond to charitable appeals initiated by virtual influencers (vs. human influencers) remains underexplored. Four online experiments reveal that virtual influencers, compared to human influencers, diminish individuals’ real emotion, thereby reducing donation intention. Individuals exhibit higher donation intention toward virtual influencers with high anthropomorphism than those with low anthropomorphism. When individuals possess high lay rationalism, the effect of influencer type on donation intention becomes non-significant. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.</p>