The account is part of a growing ecosystem of AI-generated influencers – virtual personalities created using artificial intelligence tools capable of producing hyper-realistic images and videos. These digital characters are designed to mimic human behaviors, expressions, and lifestyles, often making it difficult for viewers to identify them as artificial.
While virtual influencers aren’t exactly new—they’ve been around since the mid-2010s—rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence have greatly accelerated their presence. Today, thousands of such accounts operate on platforms such as Instagram, with some amassing large numbers of fans and steady sources of income.
In this case, the profile was allegedly earning more ₹1,00,000 per month, highlighting the commercial potential of AI-driven personalities in the creator economy.
An Instagram account operating under the name “Vrutika Patel” has caught the attention of the internet – not for what it shows, but for what it represents. At first glance, the profile seems indistinguishable from the countless lifestyle influencers that populate social media today.
The account features carefully selected visuals: a woman dressed in a blue kurta posing against bougainvillea, sipping tea in an aesthetic setting, enjoying a trip to the beach in Diu and dining in cafes. The imagery conforms to familiar influencer tropes – aspirational yet engaging, polished yet casual.
However, users have recently pointed out that the person in these pictures is not real.
The rise of AI-generated influencers
Monetization without real identity
The emergence of such accounts raises questions about how audiences interact with content and what drives monetization in the digital space. Despite the absence of a real individual, these profiles are able to attract followers, interest in the brand and paid subscriptions.
This suggests that for many users, the appeal may lie less in authenticity and more in visual storytelling, consistency and perceived relatability – even if artificially created.
The revelation sparked a strong response online, with opinion sharply divided.
Internet Reacts
Some users have criticized those who engage in or pay for such content. One comment read: “We as a nation are doomed. People will not pay.” ₹390 for something useful but I’ll spend it. I pity these 309 rascals.’
“They won’t even know she’s not real! It’s out of their hands, they’re very attractive and it’s very hard to even tell she’s not real,” another user wrote.
“That’s the world. People find opportunities to make money before it even gets expensive. And people are designed that way. The unemployed didn’t have anything they could just subscribe to and enjoy. So maybe it’s wrong, but as long as there are customers, the market is legitimate. There’s nothing you can do about it. Fuck it. I hope profiles like that never show up on my account. Anything suspicious of AI is banned by me.”
But others dismissed the criticism, saying that paying for fictional or digital experiences was not unusual. “You’ve never paid to see a fictional movie? An animated movie? Is it real? You’ve never paid for a book? Have you seen Harry Potter? Is it real?” the user wrote, questioning the logic of the outrage.
Another comment took a more critical view of the audience’s behavior, stating: “Look at those simpletons who can’t control their desires. It’s fine if it’s a real woman, but the AI is too much.”
