Dive Brief:

• Three quarters of marketers plan to up their investment in generative AI creator content this year, per a new report from global creator agency Billion Dollar Boy. Roughly two-thirds of those marketers will reallocate funds from other channels to pay for that increase.
• The research, which surveyed 6,000 consumers, creators and marketers, also found that marketers and creators largely believe generative AI will positively disrupt the creator economy (75% and 69%, respectively), though consumers were less enthusiastic (34%).
• Overwhelmingly, consumers, marketers and creators support clearer regulation of generative AI in the creator economy, particularly as 61% of consumers are unsure whether or not they’ve engaged with generative AI creator content.

Dive Insight:

Billion Dollar Boy’s report offers a glimpse into how two current trends in marketing — generative AI and the creator economy — could come together to reshape the industry. Already this year, 44% of marketers plan to increase their creator investments, with an average increase of 25%, according to a report from IAB and TalkShoppe. Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs estimated the creator economy will grow to $480 billion by 2027.

Generative AI is already in widespread use — 91% of creators have used generative AI to create content and 92% of marketers have commissioned generative AI creator content — and it is set to disrupt the market even further. Nearly 80% of creators believe it will alleviate their workload and 82% said it will accelerate their content creation process, allowing more creators to join the market, increasing brand partnership opportunities and possibly alleviating the possibility of burnout. 

Additionally, a majority of creators (78%) believe generative AI use will increase their earnings, a notion supported by two-thirds of marketers who would be willing to pay more for generative AI-developed creator content over traditional creator content.

“Generative AI adoption in the creator economy is high — not just across creator output. We’re seeing it deliver meaningful impact on client outcomes, alongside increased scalability, efficiency, and agility – key attributes in a world where the demand and expectation for content, trend reactivity, and effectiveness for brands is increasing,” said Thomas Walters, co-founder and Europe CEO of Billion Dollar Boy, in a statement. 

Also included in Billion Dollar Boy’s research is a case study from Versace’s “New Digital Artists” campaign, which showcased the Greca Goddess Handbag. With Billion Dollar Boy, Versace collaborated with 25 generative AI creators who leveraged the buzzy tech to showcase the handbag in product-centric content. The campaign saw a 6% average engagement rate along with a 1,460% play rate from AI-generated content (vs standard) and 4 million organic views on just one asset. 

Still, there are some concerns with the technology. Four in five creators fear generative AI will lead to a rise in the number of content creators and even more (86%) said it will lead to a rise in the quantity of creator assets produced. All parties — consumers, marketers and creators — expressed support for clearer regulation of generative AI.

Billion Dollar Boy’s research, titled “AI as a Creative Muse: How Generative AI is Influencing the Creator Economy,” surveyed 4,000 consumers,1,000 content creators and 1,000 senior marketing decision-makers across the U.S. and U.K. The findings follow Billion Dollar Boy’s launch of Muse, its new in-house innovation unit that explores the impact of emerging technologies on the creator economy.