Lil Miquela is not a person but a strikingly human-like computer-generated image. A self-proclaimed 19-year-old robot, she is one of a growing number of virtual influencers that are garnering a prolific following online and capturing the hearts of their digital audiences.

Miquela Sousa, also called Lil Miquela, or known mononymously by the stage name Miquela, is a fictional American character, singer and social media personality created by Trevor McFedries and Sara DeCou. The character was created as a 20-year-old girl of Brazilian-American heritage.

Among the most popular AI influencers is Lil Miquela, who has appeared in ads for fashion companies like Chanel and Givenchy, and who champions progressive politics when she's not busy discussing what it's like being a young robot living in Los Angeles.

Mid-Tier Echelon: Based on figures from this August 2023 WIRED piece, AI influencers Noonoouri, Leya Love, Imma, Qai Qai, and Superplastic's Guggimon—all with between 300,000 to 1,000,000 followers—are allegedly generating $100,000-$200,000 annually. The average revenue per follower for these five comes to $0.34.