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A novel figure has entered the influencer marketing scene: virtual influencers (VI). These new AI-based entities have become increasingly popular and commercially successful in recent years. However, compared to their human counterparts, research into the role of VI has only recently begun. Against this background, this chapter summarises the current state of research in this emerging field. Several research gaps can be identified. Based on this, potential avenues for future research from different scientific perspectives, such as marketing, sociology, ethics and journalism studies, are delineated. It can be concluded that research on VI offers unique opportunities to analyze social reactions to artificial intelligence, which may have important implications for the future acceptance of technological developments in general.

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What We Know and Don’t Know About Virtual Influencers: Status Quo and Future Research Agenda

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2025年

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  • Christian Rudeloff,
  • Sebastian Meißner

摘要

A novel figure has entered the influencer marketing scene: virtual influencers (VI). These new AI-based entities have become increasingly popular and commercially successful in recent years. However, compared to their human counterparts, research into the role of VI has only recently begun. Against this background, this chapter summarises the current state of research in this emerging field. Several research gaps can be identified. Based on this, potential avenues for future research from different scientific perspectives, such as marketing, sociology, ethics and journalism studies, are delineated. It can be concluded that research on VI offers unique opportunities to analyze social reactions to artificial intelligence, which may have important implications for the future acceptance of technological developments in general.