How influencers use AI to fake corporate brand engagement

An investigation by Anthropic revealed that AI tools are being used to mass-produce social media content, creating a false impression of authentic engagement. Between December 2025 and August 2026, Anthropic identified an account using its Claude chatbot to generate political and commercial messages in Kenya. This process masked marketing campaigns as spontaneous commentary, making it difficult for companies to distinguish between genuine creator influence and content manufactured at scale.