How to work with an AI influencer: what a brand needs to know in 2026

• Show your product in any setting. A street in Paris, a café in Barcelona or a night-time event, with no travel or filming permits.
• Keep the same look every time. The character doesn't change style from one week to the next, and every piece follows the campaign's visual direction.
• Produce quickly. No schedules to juggle and no waiting for the next piece of content.
• Speak to several markets. The same character can adapt the setting and language to each country.
• Fit your brand from the start. Her aesthetic, values and tone are defined, so there are no surprises.

The 2026 data points to one clear idea: audiences accept what is told to them openly.

• According to Gartner (a survey of 1,006 US consumers, May-June 2026), 35% now rely less on influencers because of the amount of generated content.
• According to Meltwater and YouGov, 59% would trust a brand less if it didn't disclose its use of AI.
• Among businesses, the picture is split. Influencer Marketing Hub says 73% of the companies surveyed in 2026 have already worked with virtual influencers; Linqia's survey, by contrast, finds that most large brands still don't.

The practical conclusion is that a virtual influencer works when she doesn't deceive anyone: the audience knows what she is, and the campaign has the quality to make it worth watching.

Since 2 August 2026, the EU AI Act (Article 50) requires disclosure when a realistic image or video is generated. The obligation falls on whoever uses it for commercial purposes: the brand, the agency or the creator.

In practice:

• Instagram and TikTok let you label the account and each post as generated content.
• On top of the AI label, a paid collaboration must be marked as advertising, as with any influencer.
• Failing to disclose may be treated as misleading advertising under EU consumer rules.

We explain it in detail in Do AI-generated images and videos in ads need a label?

1. Brief: the brand explains what it wants to say, to whom and by when.
2. Product: it sends photos, the spec sheet or the product itself, so it appears exactly as it is.
3. Proposal: it receives the scenes, looks and copy before production.
4. Production: the photos and videos are created with the agreed visual direction.
5. Approval: the brand reviews and asks for changes.
6. Publication: the content goes live on the influencer's accounts with its label, and the brand can receive the rights to use it in its own ads.

• Who is behind the character, and who directs the content?
• Does the character always look the same, photo after photo?
• What usage rights does the collaboration include, for which platforms and for how long?
• How is each post labelled?
• Does she also work with competing brands?

Caro Dekker is the Colombian AI fashion influencer created by BlackFrameStudio. The daughter of a Colombian mother and a Dutch father, she emigrated to the United States, where she learned English, and later moved to Spain. She collaborates with fashion and lifestyle brands, especially Latin American ones, and with content creators. Every piece carries the visual direction of a professional photographer.

To find out how she was created, read How is an AI influencer created? The case of Caro Dekker. And if you're looking for content for your brand, see how Caro works with brands.

Want Caro to work with your brand?

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