In 2024, as brands seek effective ways to reach audiences through emerging technologies, Lewis Davey created PiXEL – the world’s first dedicated AI influencer talent management agency. Drawing on his background in strategic PR campaigns, Lewis identified a significant opportunity between AI technology and brand marketing. His solution? Build an agency that connects skilled AI influencer teams and brands looking to explore this innovative marketing approach.

Creating Value Through Technical and Marketing Expertise

After building relationships with teams behind AI influencers, Lewis recognized their talent but noticed they were focused on the tech side of the business. He argues that while crucial for developing compelling AI personalities, this technical focus often creates gaps in marketing implementation.

The need for this expertise became particularly apparent after observing several unsuccessful AI influencer launches. “There are a couple of recent examples of AI influencer campaigns that, in my opinion, have landed the brand badly. Puma recently released one, and there was some backlash about that. SheerLuxe was another one,” Lewis notes. “I felt those partnerships could have benefitted from expertise in PR and insight-driven ideas and how to shape an AI influencer campaign to ensure it lands effectively.”

This insight led to PiXEL’s position as a specialist agency with a deep understanding of AI capabilities and brand marketing requirements. “PiXEL is the first talent management agency that can be that middleman, help educate brands and guide them through the process and then make those introductions to best-in-class AI Developer teams,” Lewis explains.

Establishing a Fresh Marketing Avenue

PiXEL approaches AI influencer marketing as a distinct channel rather than a replacement for human creators. “AI influencers aren’t here to replace human influencers. I very much view it as a new marketing channel for brands, and new marketing channels don’t come along too often,” Lewis states.

The agency has developed services to address this channel’s unique requirements. “We ultimately focus on three things,” Lewis explains. “Connecting brands with AI its roster of AI influencers, campaign and brand activation, and helping brands build bespoke AI Influencers through their network.

This comprehensive approach serves various levels of brand engagement. For companies beginning to explore this space, Lewis notes that “it might be that a decision maker at a brand might be interested in AI Influencers but doesn’t know where to start. We can use our expertise to help them navigate the space  and consult them through that process.” 

For those ready for implementation, PiXEL leverages Lewis’ experience and his co-founder Lauren Hannifan’s expertise in influencer marketing to help “build and develop a campaign with an AI influencer that works for their audience, their customer.”

The third aspect – supporting brands in creating their own AI influencers – represents what Lewis sees as a significant industry trend. “We work with the teams behind the biggest AI influencers: Kyra in India, Aitana Lopez in Spain, and Olivia C in Portugal,” he explains. “We also introduce brands to these teams so they can build their own while we sit in the middle and manage that relationship.”

Kyra Aitana Olivia

Recent technological advances have made this channel increasingly attractive. “The technology has improved incredibly over the past 12 months,” Lewis adds, “and the ability to turn around content quickly and cost-effectively is a really interesting benefit for brands.” He believes this efficiency extends to content creation and audience interaction, with AI influencers offering capabilities beyond traditional influencer marketing.

Luxury and automotive brands have recognized this potential early. “It’s quite interesting the type of brands that have worked with AI influences so far,” Lewis observes. “The first brands to adopt it were high-fashion luxury brands, which makes sense. And I think we’ve seen the next wave of car brands, which are inherently innovative anyway.” 

He points to examples such as Aston Martin’s recent AI clone of [F1 driver] Fernando Alonso and Aitana’s team partnering with Audi in Spain to create a bespoke AI influencer for their new EV car launch.

Strategic Partnerships Driving Results

PiXEL’s partnerships with notable AI influencers have generated significant results through targeted campaigns that maximize each AI influencer’s strengths.

“I love talking about Olivia C from Portugal,” Lewis shares. “She loves fashion, travel, and photography. It means we can sit down with brands that want to play in that space and align them accordingly. Aitana, on the other hand, has some gaming heritage, so we’re aligning with brands that play in the gaming space.”

A notable success story involves AI influencer Kenza Layli’s collaboration with Hyundai in Morocco. “She wasn’t just the face of the car launch,” Lewis says. “Using AI, they trained Kenza to become an expert in that car. Customers could ask her questions about the configuration and interior color. She could have over 2,000 conversations concurrently in multiple languages. Hyundai saw an uptick in car sales within their target audience from that campaign.”

AI Influencers are reaching the mainstream, Lewis notes, adding that Aitana appeared on a billboard in Times Square for Llongueras, highlighting “the growing appetite for brands to leverage this exciting marketing channel.”

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A post shared by Llongueras (@llonguerasoficial)

Current Market Dynamics

According to Lewis, the primary challenge in the AI influencer industry centers on education and understanding. “Although I’ve been in this space for 12 months and AI influencers have been around for several years, I feel this is almost a second wave for them. And this time, they’re here to stay very much,” he asserts.

“At the minute, my personal opinion is that brands view AI influencers as a bit of a novelty,” he continues. “But, when you take a deeper dive and look at our case studies, we want to shift the conversation to what’s possible from a performance perspective.”

The entrepreneur believes AI influencers offer significant advantages beyond initial curiosity, adding that their constant availability across time zones and markets is particularly valuable. “Working with an AI influencer on a campaign, they can be available 24/7 to post content to interact with an audience,” he says. 

Performance tracking also shows unique strengths with AI influencers. While basic metrics mirror human influencer measurements, Lewis explains that “the measurement and the tools of measurement are very similar to real-life influencers, but the access to those tools is better.” 

This enhanced data access helps brands optimize campaigns in real-time. As Lewis notes, “You can have precise metrics for engagement and track return on investment,” giving brands clear visibility into marketing performance.

Commitment to Ethical Practices

PiXEL prioritizes responsible industry development. “We only work with aspirational AI influencers that align with our values and those we deem the most attractive to brands,” Lewis emphasizes.

The agency actively shapes industry standards. “Like AI in so many different sectors right now, it’s cutting-edge technology, there are challenges, it’s disruptive,” Lewis notes. “Bringing my background in the brand world and PR expertise positions us as pioneers to discover this or grow this industry responsibly. We feel a sense of responsibility for that as well.”

Data protection measures are fundamental to their approach. “Kyra’s DMs, for example, are double-blind, so the team behind them can’t see her them, and it’s a way to build authenticity between the follower and the influencer and adhere to GDPR rules,” Lewis explains. “Similarly, just like a real-life influencer campaign, any emails collected through a campaign would have to comply with GDPR rules, and the follower would have to opt in for any contact to be made.”

Growth Strategy for 2025

PiXEL has outlined clear expansion plans. “Phase one was all about signing AI influencers to PiXEL for us to represent,” Lewis explains. “Phase two now is aggressively reaching out to brands in Q1 2025 to either put our existing AI influences in front of them, talk about and consult them on the technology and this new marketing channel, or hold their hand in terms of building bespoke ones.”

The Middle East market shows particular promise. “We see the UAE and Saudi Arabian market as a really exciting opportunity for AI influencers,” Lewis shares. “When working with an AI influencer, some of the risks that might come with working with a real-life influencer are negated, and of course, those markets are interested in investment in AI across all sorts of sectors at the moment.”

Opportunities for Growth

Lewis observes that technical capabilities in the AI influencer space continue to advance significantly. “Six months ago, the ability for an AI influencer to create video content wasn’t that great. But now it’s very good, and that’s how quickly it’s moving,” Lewis notes.

For brands considering this opportunity, Lewis shares this perspective: “It’s not for every brand. I think it will align well with brave ones willing to innovate and use new technology and, more importantly, with a lens of the customer in mind that needs to engage with younger or tech-savvy audiences.”

“There are stats out there already… 45% of Gen Z follow at least one AI influencer already,” he adds. “I think brands that put innovation at the heart of their strategy and are looking at new ways of connecting with younger audiences will find AI Influencers an incredibly exciting  opportunity.”