Questão de Inglês — Interpretação de Textos (Understanding) — VUNESP 2025

You probably know what an “influencer” is — people with large, highly engaged social media followings who have the power to sway beliefs and purchasing decisions. But you might not have yet heard of virtual influencers.

They’re like human influencers … but they’re not human. They’re characters brought to life by computer-generated imagery (CGI) and artificial intelligence (AI), designed to target demographic groups from a first-person perspective.

Virtual influencers are becoming more popular and prevalent every day. A full-blown industry has sprung up around them — an industry with agencies and companies dedicated to creating and managing them, with some of the top personas earning millions annually.

As we enter the era of AI proliferation, it seems virtual influencers are here to stay. There are at least 200 digital personalities out there today, and platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are rolling out new tools that will enable everyday users to craft their own virtual personas.

Given the absence of laws for non-humans, the rise of virtual influencers on social media raises a whole host of urgent ethical questions about authenticity online.

(Ateqah Khaki et al. www.theconversation.com, 20.02.2025. Adaptado.)