Meet robot influencers who earn Sh1.3b a year on Instagram: The Standard

While social media was once just seen as a hobby, it’s now a lucrative career for many influencers around the world. Now, it seems that even robots are trying their hands at social media, with many raking in huge amounts of money. A new report by OnBuy has revealed just how much money these ‘virtual influencers’ can make on Instagram. OnBuy explained: “‘Virtual influencers’ – also known as robot or CGI influencers – are on the rise. They’re fictional computer generated ‘people’ who have the realistic characteristics, features, and personalities of humans.

SEE ALSO: Facebook faces heat from Indian lawmakers on content practices

“They are becoming a real force to be reckoned with in the influencer marketing industry, taking social media by storm. And with more and more emerging on Instagram every week, and brands queuing up to work with them, could this be the end for human influencers?” Using Influencer Marketing Hub's Sponsored Post Money Calculator, OnBuy predicts that the highest-paid robot influencer is Lil Miquela, who boasts an impressive 2.5 million followers.

The team’s analysis indicates that Lil Miquela earns around Sh926,000 per sponsored post on her Instagram account. This means the robot could potentially earn a whopping Sh1.3billion per year. Coming in behind Lil Miquela is Noonoouri, a virtual influencer created by graphic designer Joerg Zuber.

SEE ALSO: When your lover is a Facebook catfish

Amazingly, Noonoouri has already worked with several big names, including Dior and Kim Kardashian. With 362,000 followers, OnBuy estimates that the influencer earns around Sh195,541 per sponsored post, and could rake in over Sh282 million a year.