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PODCAST: When Influencers use AI to interact with fans and consumers
Sep 15, 2026, 08:06
by
Mike Koon
A study of 225 prominent Weibo influencers found that clearly labeled AI-generated replies encouraged users to comment on later posts, including sponsored content. They worked best when they matched the influencer’s voice, addressed the specific comment, arrived after a believable delay, and were used selectively.
In 2024, the Chinese social media platform Weibo gave influencers the option of using AI to auto-generate responses to comments. So how did the fans and consumers respond? Gies College of Business professor Yang Gao analyzed those responses for his study, "When Influencers Delegate Replies: How Social AI Agents Shape User Engagement," and in this episode of Research Reverb, he discusses what he and his team discovered.
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