Is AI the End Of Influencers? (Episode 041 - The Marketing Gateway Podcast)

The heyday of influencer marketing may be over in 2026!Today we are discussing the impact of AI and bots on the industry and why brands need to rethink their strategies.Important insight: Focus on real relationships, not vanity metrics!SOURCES:https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/tilly-norwood-creator-responds-fears-over-AI-actors/story?id=128262727https://www.404media.co/hack-reveals-the-a16z-backed-phone-farm-flooding-tiktok-with-ai-influencers/ (FULL: https://archive.ph/20uwc)https://www.fraud0.com/resources/tiktok-bots-fake-accounts-scam/https://www.vogue.com/article/from-labubus-to-brain-rot-how-2025-unfolded-on-tiktokhttps://www.tbsnews.net/economy/corporates/tiktok-releases-q1-2025-community-guidelines-1196201https://clickpatrol.com/tiktok-bots-explained-how-fake-followers-and/The Marketing Gateway is a weekly podcast hosted by Sean in St. Louis (Sean J. Jordan, President of https://www.researchplan.com/) and featuring guests from the St. Louis area and beyond.Every week, Sean shares insights about the world of marketing and speaks to people who are working in various marketing roles – creative agencies, brand managers, MarCom professionals, PR pros, business owners, academics, entrepreneurs, researchers and more!The goal of The Marketing Gateway is simple – we want to build a connection between all of our marketing mentors in the Midwest and learn from one another! And the best way to learn is to listen.And the next best way is to share!For more episodes: http://themarketinggateway.com/Copyright 2025, The Research & Planning Group, Inc.