Your feed is full of AI, and nobody knows what happens next

New Delhi: Open YouTube, scroll through Instagram, or get lost in Reels, and you will find yourself knee-deep in a strange new internet, your feed populated by faceless content, AI-cloned voices, and digital avatars hosting interviews with cats or monkeys or even AI-made centenarians giving life lessons. This isn’t science fiction. It’s the current state of short-form content that is cheap to produce, quick to publish, and built to bait engagement. But as generative AI tools make content creation almost frictionless, an important question emerges: is this really the future of storytelling? Or just a phase everyone’s indulging in until the algorithm gets bored? And more importantly, do brands, the lifeblood of platform economics, actually give a damn?

The answer is: cautiously, and only when it makes sense. Siddhant Mazumdar, India Head at IPG Mediabrands Content Studio, noted that brands do work with AI-run pages when the audience checks out. “We start by sanity-checking the audience, do the comments feel human, is growth natural? Then we put guardrails in place: what's off-limits, who owns the output, and how we disclose AI use. Usually, we hand over prompt guidelines or reference assets so the “AI creator” doesn’t drift off-brand. A human still gives it that final polish, tone, and cultural nuance. So it doesn’t feel like a copy-paste job.”

Mazumdar weighed in on the monetisation potential of AI content pages as well, highlighting both the opportunity and the risks involved. He noted, "Money flows, but it’s fragile. If you can prove you own everything – voice, music, visuals – you’re fine. Slip up on copyright or hide the AI bit, and a policy tweak can nuke your revenue overnight." 

Emphasising the growing scrutiny from platforms, he added, "Think of it like keeping receipts; platforms are increasingly asking, show us how this was made and that you had the right to make it.”

Pratik Gupta, Co-Founder of FoxyMoron, added, brands are curious but cautious when it comes to partnering with faceless content pages. “Faceless pages doing educational or voiceover content in finance, beauty, or health – some brands are testing them for awareness campaigns. But it’s not mainstream yet. The biggest blocker is accountability; there’s no real creator or face behind these pages. That makes contracts, disclosures, and brand alignment tricky.”

Interestingly, Nykaa recently collaborated with the internet meme Ganji Chudail to promote their hair care products. Ganji Chudail, a popular internet character known for her humorous and sometimes cringe-worthy content, teamed up with Nykaa in an animated video. The collaboration involved the character trying to win over an "alpha male" but facing rejection due to her baldness, only to be shown using Nykaa's hair care products to achieve her desired look. While industry leaders acknowledged the viral success, many are raising red flags, too! 

Ahmed Aftab Naqvi, CEO of Gozoop, expanded on this by identifying where AI poses the biggest threat within the creator ecosystem.

“At the top of the pyramid are creators who are voices, not just vehicles, individuals with clear identities, cultural capital, and loyal communities. AI can’t replicate that kind of resonance. On the other end are micro-creators rooted in grassroots authenticity, a home chef sharing grandma’s recipe or a small-town teacher explaining science in Hinglish with homemade props, whose intimate, localised content is deeply human and algorithm-proof. The real risk lies in the middle layer: the crowded, faceless trend-chasers producing formulaic, format-heavy content like “5 cafes to visit in Bandra” reels with stock footage and robotic voiceovers. AI can generate a hundred of those overnight, at zero cost and with no creative fatigue. AI will likely eat into the utility-driven, anonymous layer of content. But it’s less of an extinction and more of an evolution. It's a wake-up call for creators to stop blending in and start building identity. In the future, influence will belong not to those who follow trends but to those who shape them,” Naqvi warned.

The rise of faceless content

The AI-fuelled content surge didn’t just appear overnight; it was engineered for scale. With tools becoming increasingly accessible, content creation has been reduced to a formula of speed and automation. Few understand this shift better than Pratik Gupta, Co-Founder of FoxyMoron, who has watched the ecosystem evolve in real time.

“It’s simple. You don’t need a face, a setup, or even a mic anymore. With the right prompts and editing tools, anyone can go live within a day. AI-generated pages are built for high volume, quick scrolls, and minimal attention spans,” said  Gupta.

And that’s exactly the problem. Platforms reward volume over value, fuelling an explosion of content that’s optimised for reach but hollow at the core. “A lot of AI-generated content gets the reach but not the relationship. Pages can go viral and still have zero brand value.” Pratik added.

Rahul Vengalil, CEO and co-founder of TGTHR, agreed, “There is definitely a spike in engagement. However, the question is whether it’s sustainable, which, in my opinion, is a challenge over the next couple of years. There will be so much sameness in the Gen AI content going forward that today’s advantage of distinctiveness no longer holds true.”

YouTube’s crackdown: The end of faceless AI channels?

YouTube’s latest update to its Partner Program marks a significant shift in how AI-generated content is treated, focusing on authenticity and originality over mass-produced efficiency. As AI tools make it easier to churn out repetitive and low-effort videos, the platform is drawing a clear line by tightening monetisation rules starting July 15. 

Mazumdar noted this shift is part of a broader trend across digital platforms. “The vibe across platforms is AI is okay; low-effort spam isn’t. Meta already labels AI images; video will follow. Expect more ‘made with AI’ tags, quieter throttling of repetitive, template-driven posts, and a push to show some human editorial layer. It’s less about banning AI and more about protecting feed quality and limiting legal risk.”

What’s next?

If AI can scale, human creators must deepen. That’s the message echoed across the board. “Today, anyone can create, but not everyone can connect. The creators who will endure are those with layered narratives and lived insight. That depth is what AI can’t mimic. So don’t just trend. Tell the truth. Personal ones. Cultural ones. Uncomfortable ones, ”Ahmed advised.