The influencers with millions of followers who don't actually exist

[erronis]

https://phys.org/news/2026-03-millions-dont.html
Tommaso Durante, University of Melbourne

Liu Yexi is a virtual influencer who has collaborated with high-end brands, including Tesla. Credit: Liu Yexi/Weibo

Lil Miquela has 2.5 million Instagram followers, a high-fashion wardrobe, and a clear political voice. She has advocated for Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQI+ community, fronted major brand campaigns, and built a devoted global fanbase. She also has no pulse.

Lil Miquela is a virtual influencer, a computer-generated character designed to look, sound, and behave like a real person. And she is not alone.

In China, Liu Yexi blends traditional aesthetics with cyberpunk visuals to amass a huge following. Ling, created by Chinese AI startup Xmov, has promoted Tesla, Vogue, and luxury tea brand Nayuki.

. . .

The contrast between Lil Miquela and Liu Yexi is instructive.

Lil Miquela embodies a Western-centric aesthetic: sleek, cosmopolitan, and faintly unsettling in her near-human appearance. Liu Yexi draws on traditional Chinese cultural imagery. On the surface, they seem to represent very different visions of global identity.

But look closer and the differences dissolve.

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