Moroccan influencer 'Laila' sparks debate about AI, cultural authenticity

Laila Khadraa, a 21-year-old Moroccan influencer, has gained a lot of traction on Instagram during her less-than-seven-month tenure on the platform.

The self-proclaimed "sports fanatic" amassed nearly 13,000 followers by posting herself effortlessly rocking the German sportswear giant Puma against a backdrop of iconic landmarks in her hometown of Casablanca.

Khadraa also happens to be an avowed foodie, and she frequently posts snippets–with captions often written in Darija–of her culinary adventures, mostly preparing traditional Moroccan dishes.

Yet, despite her apparent success and seeming authenticity, one striking detail sets her apart from her peers: she is not real. This fact has raised concerns that Khadraa marks a growing trend in which major brands capitalise on local culture without directly compensating Moroccans in the process.

The concerns are not unfounded.

Money makers

The influencer industry, estimated at a whopping $24 billion in 2024, has helped brands make significant profits over the years, according to a new report. For every dollar spent on influencer marketing, brands generated an average earned media value of $6.50. And the top 13 percent of businesses saw even greater returns, earning $20 or more in revenue for every dollar invested.

That return can be even greater when humans are cut out of the equation, says Yassine El Bahloui, an academic researcher in the ethical use of AI and blockchain.

AI influencers, or virtual influencers, are computer-generated characters crafted to promote products on social media. Built using CGI, motion capture, and artificial intelligence, these digital personas are designed to mimic the behaviour of human influencers, providing brands with a distinctive way to engage with consumers.

"They are often more cost-effective than human influencers with comparable followings," El Bahloui told TRT World.

According to a 2024 Harvard Business Review report, a human influencer with over a million followers might charge upwards of $250,000 per post. In contrast, Lil Miquela, an AI influencer with 2.6 million Instagram followers, charges approximately $9,000 per post.

Khadraa's story

Johan Kuhlo, Puma's managing director, announced Khadraa as the company's latest AI influencer in July, describing her as a "strong young woman" and an avid "sports and fashion enthusiast."

In the months since, Khadraa has sparked a lively debate on social media, with many calling out Puma for not partnering with a real-life influencer to more authentically represent and champion Moroccan culture.

Kuhlo took to LinkedIn to reassure the public that Khadraa collaborates closely with the "overwhelmingly human intelligence" of Puma's team. However, many appear unconvinced.

One user replied to Kuhlo, saying: "I just came back from two months in Morocco building a beautiful network of creators. Why not just work with one locally, in an up and coming market that already loves Puma? … this seems to take away opportunities for a real Leila."

TRT World reached out to Puma for comment, but has not yet received an answer.

Controlling the narrative

Cost is not the only consideration for brands when they partner with influencers. Controlling the message also matters, says El Bahloui.

"Virtual influencers are meticulously designed to fit brand aesthetics and messaging, with AI enabling some degree of personalised interactions but without genuine lived experiences. This distinction creates a controlled persona that brands like Puma can tailor without the unpredictability associated with human influencers," he explains.

However, there are ethical concerns surrounding virtual influencers, including potential deception, El Bahloui adds. If followers are unaware that Khadraa is AI, they might form connections to her based on false pretences, leading consumers to associate Puma with issues of trust and authenticity.

A quick visit to many of AI influencers' accounts shows that many of their followers do not realise that these personas are not real.

According to El Bahloui, this could potentially result in "emotional manipulation," especially when virtual influencers promote products or lifestyles that lack genuine real-world context or experiences.

Moroccan travel influencer and filmmaker Zakaria Zaki tells TRT World that AI influencers pose a threat to traditional ones such as himself due to their "vast databases, ability to provide information, and capacity to create content and simulate travel in seconds."

But he also expected such competition.

"The rise of virtual influencers was inevitable with the rapid advancement of technology and artificial intelligence. Their emergence didn't come as a surprise to me," he adds.

Lacking humanity

But for all their AI capabilities, virtual influencers lack one crucial element: the human spirit.

"It is something AI can never replicate, just like a real mother's love. It is something that cannot be replaced by a virtual caretaker. Similarly, a person's connection to their homeland is tied to their roots and soul in a way that AI cannot emulate," Zaki says.

In real life, followers can put themselves in the shoes of an influencer and draw genuine inspiration and hope from their experience. But the virtual influencer "remains just a robot," lacking emotions and unable to evoke the same sense of motivation, he argues.

Zaki says he sees virtual influencers changing the way "real influencers" interact with their followers.

"I believe that their presence can create a kind of challenge that pushes real influencers to work harder. Competition drives passion, which can make us more innovative and creative, doubling our efforts to enhance interaction and provide more engaging and unique content," he says.

Zaki also notes that real influencers could collaborate with virtual ones to enhance their content and diversify their methods, suggesting that rather than viewing virtual influencers as competitors, partnerships between the two could lead to better results.

"I could work with a virtual influencer like Laila (Khadraa) in a way that allows our work to complement each other, creating joint content that blends real-life experiences with the virtual world."

Representing a culture

The rise of AI influencers has sparked a deeper societal debate about who is qualified to represent a community.

Khalid Mouna, a Moroccan anthropologist, argues that "no one has the right to say who can or cannot talk about Moroccan culture."

"Culture should not be confused with identity. Culture is shared, learned, and transmitted within a group. While it may be difficult to claim someone truly represents Moroccan culture, Laila Khadra could be embodying her own interpretation of local culture, just as anyone else does," he tells TRT World.

Mouna concludes that virtual characters like Khadraa "represent culture through their own social references," offering "a form of diversity" but not necessarily an "accurate" or "complete" representation of Moroccan culture.

But El Bahloui disagrees with Mouna's view, arguing that Khadraa leverages elements of Moroccan culture not to represent it authentically, but rather to serve Puma's marketing goals. By doing so, she gives the sportswear brand "more control" over messaging while sidelining human influencers, he says.

"This shift could bring ethical risks, such as perpetuating unrealistic standards or promoting a homogenised view of culture and identity, with AI personas presenting curated but lifeless versions of reality," he adds.

El Bahloui says he also believes that laws should require any AI-based influencers to be clearly identified as virtual creations in all their content.

Meta, Instagram's parent company, does require AI-generated or modified content to be labelled for transparency, and there are penalties for non-compliance. AI-modified images are supposed to be automatically labelled if detected.

However, in the case of many AI influencers, Instagram users have noticed that the "AI-generated content" label is not there. It is not clear if the labelling system is advanced enough to identify Khadraa and others as AI.

"Platforms could mandate clear labels or disclaimers, especially when promoting products, making it obvious that these influencers lack genuine personal experience with the items they endorse."

El Bahloui stresses the need for public education on how to recognise virtual influencers and understand their artificial nature.

He suggests that schools and media literacy programs should incorporate lessons on digital manipulation and AI-driven marketing, helping audiences critically assess the content they encounter.

This article is published in collaboration with Egab.