AI Actress Lands Brand Deal, Charges Up To S$49K For 60-Sec Ad, Out-Earning Human Celebs

Imagine paying someone who doesn't exist nearly S$50,000 to promote your product. That's exactly what's happening in China.

AI actress Fang Taozi, star of AI micro drama 被裁掉的女孩 (translated as The Girl Who Got Laid Off), has reportedly become one of the country's highest-paid virtual endorsers.

The virtual actress — who has drawn comparisons to Japanese actress Nana Komatsu, though her creator insists the resemblance begins and ends with the pair's two facial moles — shot to fame after the drama premiered in June. She amassed more than 400K Douyin followers in just 30 days.

Taozi has since landed her first brand deal with a coloured contact lens company, starring in an ad featuring both product placement and a spoken introduction to the product.

Her reported asking rates, however, have left many doing a double take.

According to pricing listed on Douyin's marketing platform, Taozi reportedly charges:

• 168K yuan (S$31.9K) for a 1–20 sec video
• 208K yuan (S$39.6K) for a 21–60 sec video
• 258K yuan (S$48.9K) for videos longer than 60 sec

Those figures reportedly put her ahead of many influencers with millions of followers, as well as some human actors.

So why are brands interested?

For advertisers, AI personalities come with obvious advantages.

Unlike human celebrities, they don't age, become embroiled in scandals or suddenly cancel shoots. They can create content around the clock, don't tire, and can maintain a constant social media presence.

But not everyone’s buying it.

Some questioned why companies would spend so much on someone who isn't even real, while others argued AI influencers are simply the next evolution of celebrity endorsements.

Comments on TikTok ranged from: "Even influencers are losing their jobs” to "Would anyone really buy this? The AI has never actually used the product."

Others doubted the trend would last.

One user wrote: "A company that wants to advertise can just create their own AI actor."

Another commented: "Do we really want to live in a fake world?"

But can AI actors even endorse products?

Taozi's first campaign has also raised legal questions.

Since coloured contact lenses are regulated as Class III medical devices in China, some lawyers pointed out that an AI character cannot actually wear or test the product.

Under China's Advertising Law, human endorsers are generally required to have used the products they promote. That means that claims such as "I've worn these all day and they're comfortable" could potentially be misleading if presented as a personal experience.

While Chinese law does not prohibit AI characters from appearing in ads, legal experts say companies are still responsible for ensuring any marketing claims are truthful.