Influencing the future

If it is not possible for a virtual idol to appear on the same stage as a real person, perhaps it still might be able to attend a fashion show.

In 2018, Lil Miquela, a virtual influencer created by US company Brud in 2016, attended several fashion shows in Milan, Italy. That same year, a newly launched website Dazed Beauty hired Miquela as its arts editor.

The half-Brazilian and half-Spanish woman, who claims that she is 19, has 2 million followers on Instagram.

For Yi's developers, besides the domestic operation, their next step will be to explore overseas opportunities, including the creation of Instagram and YouTube accounts.

The social media influencer marketing industry－covering both real and virtual influencers－is on track to be worth up to $15 billion by 2022, up from around $8 billion last year, according to estimates by Business Insider Intelligence based on Mediakix data.

IQiyi concluded in its report that human celebrities are for now, but virtual idols will be the future.

Contact the writer at wangqian@chinadaily.com.cn