AI is often predicted to disrupt huge parts of the workforce—and it looks like the fashion and influencer world isn’t immune. Even modeling is now being reshaped by artificial intelligence.
Aitana López, widely known online as Aitana AI, is described as Spain’s first hyper-realistic virtual model and influencer created using AI.
Developed by Barcelona creative agency The Clueless, she has built a substantial online audience and brings in significant revenue through sponsorships and paid subscription platforms—reportedly as much as $50,000 per month.
Her persona is presented as a 26-year-old from Barcelona who is into fitness, gaming, and fashion, and she’s typically identified by her signature pink hair.
In roughly 18 months, she has grown to more than 343,000 Instagram followers, with posts attracting thousands of views and reactions. According to Euronews, she even receives DMs from celebrities who allegedly don’t realize she isn’t a real person.
Even so, the team behind Aitana says they aren’t trying to trick anyone with her content.
“We never have any intention of misleading. We are producing the same type of content that other creators or advertising agency is producing, the only difference is that we use AI instead of cameras.”
At the same time, modern AI systems can behave unpredictably—misreading prompts, attempting to resist shutdown, or single-mindedly chasing goals in ways that cause harm.
So is there any chance Aitana could “go rogue”? Her creators argue that scenario is extremely unlikely.
“She hasn’t because all of her personality is controlled by us, but if she ever did we would have to analyze what happened and go back to re-structure the information that makes her herself,” they added.
“Honestly, we would love to experiment and see what does she have to say besides all of that it is pre-determined.”
As AI-made influencers gain ground, it’s understandable that human creators and models worry about losing work. However, Aitana’s team maintains that this technology isn’t meant to replace people.
Instead, they suggest the modeling industry is moving toward a more digital future, where models may need to build virtual versions of themselves to stay competitive.
“AI models are just an evolution of real models (and influencers), in a digital world everyone needs avatars and digital personas.
“AI models represent an opportunity for real models to be able to have more work while resting more, they just need to digitalize themselves.”
Aitana reportedly earns much of her income through brand ambassador roles—particularly for Fanvue (a subscription platform for exclusive creator content), as well as OpenArt. On top of that, she brings in recurring revenue through brand partnerships and sales connected to her own skincare label, Vellum.
“If you sum up all of this, it’s around 50-80K monthly, depending on the month.”
While AI personas could create new opportunities—especially if individuals build digital doubles of themselves—they also introduce serious risks if used maliciously.
One major concern is how easily AI identities could be exploited for deception, including catfishing.
Aitana’s creators acknowledge that impersonation already happens online, and that AI could add to the problem, but they believe future avatar ecosystems will rely on “many types of verification” to reduce abuse.