From AI to LI: The Evolving Landscape of Influencer Marketing

The influencer marketing landscape continues to evolve at breakneck speed, with brands and influencers adapting to changes in technologies, platforms and consumer behaviors. The stakes for success also have also never been higher, with the lion’s share of marketing dollars being poured into the channel. With the global influencer marketing industry expected to surge from $24 billion in 2024 to $32.55 billion this year, the question isn’t whether it works, but how to make it work better and stay ahead of the curve.

From the rise of LinkedInfluencers to influencers developing content for AI discovery, these five key trends are reshaping influencer marketing’s next era.

1. LinkedInfluencers on the Rise

LinkedIn, seemingly out of nowhere, has transformed into one of the hottest channels for influencer marketing, marking one of the biggest platform shifts in recent years. It’s attracting B2B companies and influencers across industries, from small businesses to major pharma and tech giants–all tapping into this audience of highly-engaged decision-makers and professionals. It creates thought-leadership opportunities that you can’t find with traditional advertising.

LinkedIn has empowered this by releasing a number of creator tools, including short-form video and analytics that are drawing more brands and influencers to the platform. More LinkedIn-specific influencer marketing agencies like Creator Authority are also popping up to take advantage of this growing movement. As more professionals turn to LinkedIn for education and inspiration, it will become a key channel for targeted influence.

2. The Rise of AEO – AI Reshapes Influencer Strategy

As AI tools such as ChatGPT become a starting point for consumers to find information, research problems and buy products, it’s creating new opportunities for brands to foster partnerships that take into account answer engine optimization (AEO) – the process of optimizing content so it surfaces on AI engines. This new era of search doesn’t typically pull from content on video platforms such as TikTok or YouTube, so marketers are increasingly seeking out influencers who can place content where LLMs can find and digest it, such as blogs and personal websites.

3.Long-Term Collaborations Replace One-Off Campaigns

It used to be that one-time partnerships were the norm, but now they’re giving way to longer-term brand-influencer collaborations, or ambassador programs, as brands seek to build deeper connections and brand affinity. Marketers will continue to use influencers on a one-time basis for initiatives such as product launches and seasonal campaigns, but start investing in longer-term relationships with influencers to give them an opportunity to truly fall in love with their products, become embedded in the brand and convey more authentic messages to their followers.

Influencers, in turn, are finding an increased opportunity to post about their favorite brands with aspirations of that brand finding and hiring them. Because these longstanding collaborations are more genuine, it leads to more honest content and long-term ROI. These ambassador programs will also open the door for smaller influencers to get into the game, with celebrities and macros often spurned in favor of mid-tier and micros.

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4. Ditching “Easy Measurement” Becomes Hot Trend

Measurement is one of the most important aspects of influencer marketing, but also the least understood. Despite how far some of the other areas of influencer marketing have progressed, many agencies and brands still measure success using surface-level metrics such as reach, engagement and frequency without tying them to any business outcomes. AI is only compounding the situation because marketers are so blinded by speed and low costs that they’re willing to sacrifice quality insights on the back end. This often results in trying to fit a round peg in a square hole – a misalignment of goals and measurement outcomes. The result is often guesswork, assumptions and few solid answers to key performance questions.

With 76% of marketers reporting a dedicated influencer marketing budget in 2025, and management asking for concrete proof of effectiveness, there will be a growing need for brands and agencies to go the extra mile and eschew what’s easy for what tells a clear story. As a result, more measurement approaches that inform channel choices, influencer selection, message selection and other strategies will be the norm. While these methodologies require more time and effort, the insights they provide can be a game-changer.

5. Companies Heavily Invested in AI Turn to Creators to Add Human Touch

As AI becomes more ubiquitous in business and everyday lives, companies with products built on AI are facing a tall marketing challenge: how to humanize their tools and explain how they fit into people’s everyday lives and workflows. Despite the many benefits, consumers are highly skeptical of the expanding role of AI in their lives. They have trust issues, privacy concerns and a healthy fear of what an AI-enabled future looks like. Ironically, major companies are turning to everyday human creators to quell fears, explain benefits in layman’s terms and make AI tools relatable.

Whether for large technology companies or small consumer product brands, Creators are and will continue to be an integral part of AI marketing. Their efforts help decrease the intimidation factor consumers feel, and remove layers of complexity thanks to walk-throughs and real-life examples. Pairing in-depth measurement with their messages around a diverse set of AI and features and benefits is allowing companies to hone in on which tools and applications have the most utility, allowing brands to clearly see what’s marketable and help guide their roadmaps. As this trend of using creators to promote AI products continues to grow, it will provide brands with a vital playbook detailing which creative, messages and messengers work best in this new marketing frontier.

This evolution is changing how brands and influencers approach content creation, with more brands seeking out influencers who can take relevant content and places where LLMs can find it. Influencers are also taking note and building out their long-form content that can be easily discovered by AI engines. And, just as agencies benefit from providing AV gear to influencers to ensure they’re getting first-rate deliverables, we’ll see more invested in the infrastructure that helps them get noticed in AEO.