AI & Infrastructure for Influencer Marketing Growth

AI is reshaping creator marketing, impacting talent identification and results measurement. However, many teams are not fully equipped to utilize it because creator marketing lacks the infrastructure found in other marketing areas. There’s no standard tech stack or universal system, and much of the work remains in spreadsheets or tools brands don’t own.

This is a problem because creator marketing is now a significant investment. According to Deloitte Digital’s 2025 State of Social Research, creators account for nearly a quarter of all social media budgets. Brands require effective systems for investments of this magnitude.

AI Closing the Infrastructure Gap

At Digital Entertainment World, experts discussed how AI is bridging the infrastructure gap, enabling brands to manage creator marketing like any core business function.

Evolving Creator Discovery

AI is enabling teams to move beyond manual searches and uncover patterns in content, sentiment, and audience behavior. According to Olivia McNaughten, Head of Marketing at Grin, AI can assess performance, content style, sentiment, and audience match to generate a shortlist aligned with specific goals. While AI can evaluate performance, only humans can assess the cost of working with creators who may be difficult.

AI helps marketers identify influential creators within relevant communities, enabling a more strategic approach to building creator portfolios, similar to how media teams optimize media buys. By handling repetitive tasks, AI frees up marketers to build trust and shape creative ideas.

Centralizing Creator Data

Creator data is often scattered across multiple locations or is not easily accessible. When programs are outsourced or fragmented, data resides in spreadsheets, PowerPoints, or platforms the brand doesn’t control. This makes it challenging to track performance or build on successful strategies.

Taylor Rodriguez, Global VP of Customer Experience at Traackr, noted the difficulty in determining which partnerships are worth reinvesting in without the right system. Jacob Clark, VP of Customer Success at Aspire, emphasized treating creator relationship data like customer data: centralized, searchable, and actionable. This approach allows you to track the history of a partnership and identify future opportunities.

Rodriguez added that layering AI on top of this data makes the insights even more powerful, leading to more innovative and tailored strategies.

Analyzing Content Performance

With the increase in content creation, AI helps marketers identify content that drives real results and understand why. Bill Stanton, Head of Enterprise Sales at Later, stated that the sheer volume of content is changing what performance looks like, potentially rendering older metrics irrelevant. He emphasized the importance of obtaining the right signals to make informed decisions about scaling efforts.

Nate Harris, VP of Product Innovation at CreatorIQ, highlighted the need to understand why content worked and for whom, not just tracking what went viral. AI helps identify patterns, revealing what kind of content drives action and for which audiences, turning performance data into a strategic advantage.

AI transforms performance analysis into a feedback loop, enabling teams to optimize creative, distribution, and targeting. As creator budgets increase, AI helps teams accelerate processes, reduce friction, and make clearer decisions.

Scaling Strategy with AI

Steph Money, SVP@Edelman AI, stated that the goal is elevation, not just automation. AI empowers marketers to scale strategy, not just execution. Connecting creator discovery, relationship management, and performance transforms creator marketing into a continuous function.

Harris stated that optimized systems allow creators to focus on content creation, while brands can learn from that content. This approach positions creator marketing as a long-term growth engine rather than a side project.

The Need for Infrastructure

Creator marketing is evolving, but many brands are stuck in trial-and-error. While budgets and expectations are rising, and AI is accelerating possibilities, infrastructure remains critical. Speakers from Traackr, Grin, Aspire, Later, and CreatorIQ stressed that creator marketing lacks a dedicated tech stack, hindering learning, measurement, and scaling. Without structure, even the best creative strategies will fall short. The brands that succeed will be the ones with a clear system and the ability to refine that system with each campaign.