𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧? 😳
For anyone whose living depends on being trusted, that is either a crisis or the biggest opportunity in a decade.
This week on the 𝐒𝐌𝐁 𝐀𝐈 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭, Kree and Varun sit down in studio with 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐲𝐧 𝐍𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐨, founder of Vibe-z. Mervyn spent a decade in marketing before bootstrapping a creator platform through the pandemic, losing over a hundred thousand dollars to bad developers, moving his family from South Africa to Canada, and cashing out his savings to go all in on one idea: keep the human real.
The numbers behind the conversation: 📊
📊 Synthetic AI influencer profiles surged 𝟗𝟏% in a year, and an estimated $𝟒.𝟖𝐁 was lost to influencer fraud.
📊 Even as fakes flood in, 𝟕𝟖% of marketers say authenticity is the single most important thing when they pick a creator.
📊 Views are rented: 𝟓𝟕% of full time creators earn below a living wage from platform payouts, which are only about a quarter of their income.
Mervyn's throughline: as AI makes fake easy and everywhere, real becomes rare and valuable. Provable humanity is no longer a soft value, it is a business asset. And the audience you own, an email list, a community, a direct line, is the one no algorithm can take away overnight.
What this means for you: in a feed full of fakes, the real face, the real voice, the real story behind your brand is the one thing a bot cannot copy. Lead with it, capture the relationships you can keep, and use AI to amplify the human rather than replace it. 🎙️
Stream on:
▶️ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SMBAIHUB
▶️ Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/b93fd52f-bc53-4ee9-98d7-3b9e10ea0e6f/ai-breakdown
▶️ Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/ai-breakdown/id6799578599
▶️ Web: smbaimagazine.com
▶️ Web: smbaipodcast.com
Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as direct financial or business advice. Always consult with a qualified professional for advice specific to your situation. This is an Independent commentary. Third-party excerpts are credited on screen or in the show notes. Some voices in this program are AI-generated.