Vodafone’s German subsidiary featured an AI-generated spokesperson in a TikTok video promoting connectivity speeds and a €120 cashback offer, continuing the telecom’s experimentation with AI-made advertising.
AI frontwoman anchors TikTok promotion
The TikTok clip shows a young brunette woman describing the offer and network performance. Viewers noticed telltale AI artifacts—such as moles on her chin appearing and disappearing—prompting the account to acknowledge the experiment. In German, the company replied that it was trying different styles, adding that as AI becomes part of everyday life, advertisers are testing it too.
According to Fortune, the video was posted by Vodafone’s German arm and reflects broader industry interest in synthetic personalities for marketing.
Extending last year’s fully AI-produced campaign
Vodafone previously released “The Rhythm of Life,” an advertisement from last year composed entirely with AI. The spot opened with a birth and moved through scenes of gaming, skydiving, and a wedding woven with Vodafone branding. Amr El Badry, Vodafone’s global senior brand identity and communications manager, told Ad Age in December 2024 the ad was “100% AI-produced without a single real pixel,” Fortune reported.
AI influencers gain traction online
Fortune noted that AI influencers have become more common. Lil Miquela, for example, has 2.4 million followers and charges $73,920 per post, according to the New York Times, and has appeared in selfies with public figures, attended the VMAs, and posted about deepfakes on Instagram. The character is run by a team at tech company Dapper Labs, according to Fortune. Vodafone did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.
The company’s TikTok experiment arrives amid wider debate about AI’s impact on work. Fortune cited research indicating early-career roles are among those most affected by automation, including a Stanford University study finding a 13% decline in relative employment for early-career workers in certain fields. Fortune also referenced public comments from industry leaders about potential displacement, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s prediction that AI would eliminate a large share of entry-level white-collar jobs, and remarks by Geoffrey Hinton and Bill Gates about the potential scale and uncertainty of AI-driven job changes.
