Creators and AI clones

^{Making a living as a creator shouldn’t be some elusive thing. And what’s the best way to learn how creators are making it work? To go behind-the-scenes. These bi-weekly interview issues are like having coffee with your favorite creators. If we haven’t met before, I’m Amanda Smith. I write about solopreneurship and the creator economy.}

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In January, YouTube announced they’ll soon let creators make Shorts with their own AI likeness. For creators, this is either exciting or frightening, depending on which side of AI you’re on.   

YouTube will allow creators to leverage their own likeness in videos but prevent others from using it. This is good news, as deepfake scams are rampant on social media. 

The big question I have about the Shorts news is if creators want a feature like this. 

What about a creator like Rose Han, who we featured last year who focuses on long-form financial videos. She does Shorts to push viewers to her evergreen content. She slices up those big videos and uses Shorts as a promo of sorts. 

So where does an AI-generated Shorts video sit in her strategy? Is it as simple as adding more volume and velocity? Or bringing more attention back to her old videos, without much extra effort? 

More isn’t always better. 

As for numbers, her most popular video has 4.2 million views and her best-performing Short is just over 300,000. 

For other creators, like Carl Murawski, there could be more range to experiment with AI likeness because of the topic and territory he covers. Personal finance is much more buttoned up than “blue collar trade working in the elements.” 

A lot of this will be creator and audience specific, especially with YouTube, where the deepest relationships exist. Could a creator be canceled if they use an AI double to drive traffic to their main videos? Or, would their audiences find it cool?

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Maybe this is more of a philosophical, personal question than it is a technical one. 

We know AI avatars are everywhere, tricking audiences and algorithms alike. But are AI versions of real people better? Does it need to be disclosed? Should the revenue model be different for viral videos generated with an AI clone? 

There are too many questions and not enough answers. 

The platforms will determine a lot of this, but it’s also important for creators to define their stance – as they wield great influence on society. 

Even the biggest creators like MrBeast are still figuring it out. In 2025, MrBeast launched his own AI tool to generate thumbnails, even with a likeness feature – all the while joining the YouTube program to help creators to have more control over likeness. 

Jimmy quickly removed his AI tool. He continues to call out fake posts of his face, like one that went viral with a OnlyFans creator. Whether real or not, these posts still tend to break the internet. 

It’s happening at the micro level, with everyday Instagram influencers. The OGs.

One "creator" took to Reddit to reveal how her AI influencer counterpart is making more money than she is. Ironically, the comments grilled her, saying she was a bot and not a real person. 

For creators, many of whom rely on brand deals, it’s a slippery slope – as these companies are starting to hire fake influencers who can spin up endless iterations of product placements 24/7. 

AI will undoubtedly change the economics for creators, and if I can peg a bet, the enjoyment of it all, too. Maybe the new moat is not doing any AI at all.

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Speak soon,
Amanda

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