The success of an influencer campaign often hinges on the careful selection of creators, a task that is increasingly being handled by artificial intelligence. This innovative approach allows brands to efficiently navigate the vast landscape of influencers available today.
One company leading the charge is Dentsu, which has implemented an AI-driven tool known as the “Creator & Trends Studio” (CATS) to optimize influencer selection. Since its launch in January, this system leverages an API partnership with Meta, recommending creators based on various factors, including their areas of expertise and their current involvement in trending topics on social media.
Shenda Loughnane, the global brand president at Dentsu X, shared with Digiday that the goal is to create a systematic way for brands to engage with culture through influencers.
Within Dentsu, CATS has become integral to a new “playbook” designed for creator marketing. This playbook emphasizes the significant cultural influence of creators and combines it with paid promotional strategies on Meta’s Partnership and Reels Trending ad formats to yield measurable outcomes.
Prominent skincare brands like Galderma and Elizabeth Arden have adopted this method. The agency noted a remarkable 14.3% increase in unaided ad recall and a 41% rise in sales conversions for Elizabeth Arden’s partnership advertisements.
“Brands must consider carefully how to stand out amid the overwhelming number of similar offerings and succeed in an algorithm-driven environment,” Loughnane advised.
Dentsu is not alone in utilizing AI for influencer discovery. Tech has emerged as a vital differentiator for both independent and corporate influencer marketing agencies. For example, the independent agency Later employs an AI system that pairs campaign briefs with suitable influencers while predicting the potential success of social media content based on historical engagement data.
Scott Sutton, CEO of Later, explained, “This provides a more comprehensive overview that assures me of a high return on ad spend (ROAS) for my campaign.” His agency has been using AI tools for creator discovery for the past six months.
This integration of AI reflects a broader evolution in creator marketing workflows. Initially, organizations like Goat, Obviously, Viral Nation, and Influencer automated aspects like campaign brief generation. Now, influencer discovery and selection are also being streamlined.
For Sutton, the adoption of AI is crucial in adapting to a rapidly changing market. As brands strive to connect with a growing number of creators, traditional manual methods of campaign organization have become impractical.
“More brands are eager to collaborate with a larger pool of creators,” he noted, adding, “Successfully managing creative programs now requires engaging with more influencers—typically smaller or mid-size ones—in a focused manner.”
Walmart exemplifies this trend by now engaging “hundreds of thousands” of creators. As Sarah Henry, the retailer’s VP and head of content, influencer, and commerce stated during her talk at the ANA’s 2026 Media Conference, they prioritize engagement metrics over mere follower counts.
“Using this approach at scale would be impossible without overwhelming our team and the client,” explained Kevin Blazaitis, president of Creo, noting that they are currently working with about 30-40% more influencers per campaign on average.
Agencies utilizing these tools assert that their staff maintain oversight over the AI-generated recommendations. Blazaitis even suggested that Creo’s Discovery Agent might help eliminate biases based on political or racial factors in the selection process.
“I don’t see this as a replacement for human insight but as a way to enhance initial efforts,” he remarked.
Nonetheless, the increased reliance on AI means that the essential human judgment, experience, and intuition in selecting creators are now primarily reserved for cases involving high-profile talent.
For campaigns featuring well-known figures or celebrities, Sutton emphasized that a personalized approach remains necessary. However, today’s vast networks of nano- or micro-influencers often don’t require such close supervision.
“There are instances where deeper engagement is essential,” he stated. “The best results arise from the synergy of human insight and AI—especially when dealing with extensive data challenges where AI truly excels.”
In conclusion, the emergence of AI in influencer marketing signifies a transformative shift in how brands identify and collaborate with creators. While AI offers remarkable efficiency and precision, the combination of human intuition and technological innovation is poised to redefine the landscape of influencer marketing going forward.
