The creator economy is growing bigger every day, and so is the continued use of AI. Content creators are finding new ways to use artificial intelligence to their advantage, working smarter, not harder.
In celebration of National Creator Day, URLgenius has unveiled new survey insights that spotlight how AI is reshaping the creator economy. According to its latest survey, 59% of creators are now turning to AI to streamline their workflows and improve monetisation strategies, an essential shift as many face tightening consumer spending in an increasingly saturated market.
“Creators are seeing real utility from AI, especially when it comes to saving time and making smarter decisions about what to promote,” said Brian Klais, URLgenius founder and CEO.
Let’s deepdive into how creators are using AI in 2025 so far.
Key findings from the survey
The survey, conducted April 7–16, 2025, gathered responses from 121 creators, the majority of whom are full-time influencers with over 100,000 followers. Key insights include:
AI transforms workflow:
34% use AI to automate follower engagement, while 23% use it for product curation and audience analytics. Only 19% use it for video editing and enhancing.
Efficiency takes priority:
43% say AI has streamlined their creative processes. However, 33% express concerns about AI’s impact on authenticity and the future of human creativity. Furthermore, 30% of creators claimed they haven’t noticed any impact on their work by using AI.
Economic pressures continue:
Among full-time creators, 52% report a noticeable decline in consumer spending on affiliate-linked products, highlighting the urgent need for new monetisation tools.
Part-time creators are feeling the pinch:
40% of side-hustle creators cite falling brand commissions and fewer sponsorship opportunities.
AI adoption is highest among the 500k-1m follower cohort:
The survey found that 68% of creators with between 500k-1m followers were using AI, making it the biggest influencer tier to adopt AI into their work. Overall, 19% of creators are using AI on a regular basis.
What do these stats mean for influencer marketers?
Influencers are becoming more data-driven when it comes to using AI. This means that marketers should be working in harmony by using AI tools that complement their creators to enhance efficiency.
Affiliate-linked products are declining. To remain appealing to financially challenged creators, brands might need to explore performance-based partnerships, varied income streams, or jointly developed products. Offering more adaptable compensation plans, like hybrid models that blend flat fees and affiliate commissions, should be considered too.
