Earning 250K Monthly, AI Beauties Are Emptying Middle-Aged Men's Wallets
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Middle-aged men, once considered 'the hardest to sway by e-commerce,' are now falling for AI beauties.
The saying 'middle-aged men are worse off than dogs' has long been seen as a true reflection of their place in the consumer hierarchy. Women who love dressing up buy cosmetics and clothes, while homemakers purchase kitchenware and food. But when it comes to men, it's often just 'goji berries in a thermos' or 'a fishing rod to conquer the world.'
On content platforms, however, a group of AI beauties with stunning looks and enviable figures have set their sights on these long-neglected middle-aged men. "A single mother born in the 1980s," reads the profile of "Xiao Yi Mei," much like most real influencers. However, upon closer inspection of her short videos, something seems off. In the videos, she sports a signature smile but has a stiff expression, with a graceful figure yet no interaction. The same angles and backgrounds sometimes showcase entirely different products. Upon careful observation, one can even hear voices with varying tones in the videos.
Faced with the confusion of some viewers, the platform provided an answer below the videos: the content is suspected to be AI-generated. Despite being an AI-generated beauty host, it hasn't stopped some fans from sending roses in the comments section, with others directly greeting her with "Hello, beautiful."
Thanks to her AI-generated beauty videos, "Xiao Yi Mei" has garnered a following of 1.1 million. Data from Chan Mama shows that in February of this year, she posted 118 videos, with total sales ranging between 75,000 to 100,000 yuan. In December of last year, she uploaded 258 videos, achieving total sales between 250,000 to 500,000 yuan. Publishing around 10 videos daily, each generating nearly 1,000 yuan in revenue, 'Xiao Yimei' has outperformed many small to medium-sized human streamers. On internet platforms, AI streamers like her are no rarity—they represent a cog in the wheel of a mass-production industry chain.
One moment, the screen shows a smiling beauty in an off-shoulder dress; the next, rows of neatly arranged windproof lighters abruptly appear. Without any voiceover, yellow text on the screen highlights the video's focus: lighters, priced at mere cents, limited-time offer, grab them fast.
With 1.276 million followers, 'Tang Tang' is another AI beauty streamer. Devoid of plotlines or personas, her live-streaming purpose is unmistakably sales-driven. According to Chan Mama data, Tang Tang released 71 videos in February, 93% of which (66 videos) were promotional. Just like attractive female dancers who perform sexy and fiery dances, AI beauties primarily attract male users. 'Xiao Yi Mei' has a staggering 86.28% male followers, with over 60% of them aged above 40. Meanwhile, 'Tang Tang' boasts an even higher male fan base of 92.11%, with nearly half of her followers over 50 years old.
In contrast to most influencers who target young markets, high-priced products, and female users, AI beauties seem to be taking a highly 'niche' path. Their focus is on the underserved market: lower-tier cities, low-cost products, and middle-aged to elderly male users.
This strategy is evident in their product selections. Beyond lighters priced at just a few cents, they also promote items like 6.88 yuan steel-core nylon ropes and 6.99 yuan traditional Beijing cloth shoes. When seeing these prices, many people would wonder: Can they really make money at such low prices? Looking at Tangtang's sales records, the top-selling item is a razor priced at 6.99 yuan with a 16% commission, while the second best-seller is black pepper seeds priced at 9.9 yuan with a surprisingly high commission of 50%. These affordable and practical products not only have commission rates that exceed most people's expectations but also have minimal return rates compared to categories like clothing.
Among AI beauties, some rely on their looks, while others provide emotional value. "Chocolate, Little Lemon" has amassed a staggering 10.49 million followers on Douyin. In her videos, she mostly appears in half-body shots, with content lasting around 30 seconds, often revolving around men. Examples include: "Why do many men nowadays choose to live alone?" "Men who can enjoy solitude are not ordinary individuals," and "If you leave a man alone for too long, even if he loves you deeply, he will eventually walk away."
Many male fans refer to "Chocolate, Little Lemon" as "the woman who understands them best." However, upon closer inspection, it's evident that her lip movements don't match the dialogue in the videos—a clear sign of AI generation—yet almost no one questions it. On the Douyin platform, apart from small system notifications, identifying AI streamers mainly relies on the naked eye. Digital humans and background edges appear slightly blurred, their postures are relatively stiff, and their lip movements are not very smooth. Young people familiar with internet trends naturally have some ability to discern, but for users from lower-tier markets who are unfamiliar with AI technology, distinguishing them is not an easy task.
With the rise of AI, "how to seize the new trend and make money with AI" has become a hot topic for many. On Xiaohongshu, there are over 30,000 notes related to making money with AI, and more than 20,000 notes related to AI streamers.
Successful cases like "Little Aunt" and Tang Tang have attracted many people to join the trend. We have come across promotional content for AI-powered product promotion video generation software on multiple platforms. The videos showcase detailed operational steps: first, select products based on promotion preferences, enter a secondary creation page, and then edit the content by referring to example-generated scripts. Once the products and content are set up, for the human aspect, you can not only choose AI models to appear in the videos but also match them with different voice options, including entertainment reporting, sweet narration, strong female tones, and more.
The promotional content claims that users only need to tap on their mobile phones to effortlessly produce a product promotion video featuring an AI host within a minute.
To attract users, the software platforms also present highly appealing data, such as generating commissions of 1.7566 million yuan this month or achieving sales of 2,354 yuan for beginners within seven days. Statements like "After live-streaming product promotions, AI-powered graphic and video promotions will be the next big trend" are also widespread on internet platforms. From a technical perspective, batch-producing livestreaming sales videos like those of "Xiao Yimei" or Tangtang isn't particularly challenging. Their videos typically involve no interactive elements, just simple splicing of images, fixed videos, sound effects, and products. However, whether these videos can actually deliver the promised sales results remains highly questionable.
On consumer protection platforms like Hei Mao, many people attracted by AI-powered sales are voicing their complaints. There are currently 329 complaints related to AI sales, with most citing "false advertising" as the primary issue. Scam companies, pure pyramid schemes, and outright frauds are becoming increasingly common.
One consumer who spent nearly 400 yuan on a software membership told reporters that the generated videos were extremely crude, and the promised mentor guidance was virtually nonexistent. Some AI software even uses commission-based models to encourage paid members to recruit new participants.
Whether creating short video influencers or replicating livestreaming hosts, AI digital humans are no longer a novel concept. In 2022, top influencer Yu Da Gongzi interacted with his digital twin during a livestream. Last May, Li Jiaqi engaged in a cross-dimensional conversation with virtual influencer AYAYI. To fill less popular time slots, virtual hosts have become regular fixtures in many brand livestreaming rooms. However, we cannot deny that AI livestreaming influencers have not yet entered the mainstream market.
First, visually, there is still a noticeable difference between virtual humans and real people. Many consumers perceive virtual humans as soulless avatars, lacking the warmth of human interaction. Second, the technology for virtual humans is still limited to visual recognition, and the output of content remains relatively simplistic. In livestreams without human operators, comments are mostly responded to by recognizing fixed keywords and outputting pre-prepared standard scripts. Finally, the key to maintaining user engagement is often the influencer's persona and their unique personality, which is something virtual humans currently lack.
Not only have they not entered the mainstream market, but many businesses are also exploiting AI to take advantage of legal loopholes for profit. AI Anchor Resembling Yang Mi
"What appeared to be Li Kui turned out to be Li Gui" – during the 315 period, news about fake Yang Mi and Liu Yifei promoting weight-loss tea in live broadcasts drew significant attention. To capitalize on celebrity influence, some merchants employed AI face-swapping technology to have these stars endorse their live streams. When confronted by consumer doubts, they remained evasive. Not long ago, attempts to digitally resurrect deceased celebrities using AI technology were also halted by family objections and public outcry.
It's foreseeable that as technology advances, mass-producing AI-generated beauties will become increasingly effortless. However, for those orchestrating these schemes, technology is merely one component in improving efficiency. To achieve sustainable commercial success, product selection, operations, and even luck are all indispensable factors.