Thousands of AI-generated “personalities” around the world to compete for the AI Personality of the Year Awards 2026 - as expert estimates there’s now more AI personas online than the population of New York

NEW YORK, April 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OpenArt, the leading AI video generation platform, has partnered with creator subscription platform, Fanvue, to launch the AI Personality of the Year Awards. The global programme is the first of its kind to recognise the achievements of AI Influencers across content excellence, cultural impact, and commercial success, with ElevenLabs joining in as a founding partner. 

The launch comes as the AI influencer sector is expanding fast, with experts estimating its value will exceed $30 billion in 2026, part of a wider creator economy that is predicted to hit $1 trillion by 2030.

Over the past 18 months, AI-generated personalities have embedded themselves into popular culture, building loyal fanbases, and landing major brand deals. The biggest AI Influencers in the world are serving as official ambassadors, including Aitana Lopez, Spain’s first million-dollar AI influencer.

Early entrants for the awards include Mexican LGBTQ+ Reggaeton artist RoRo Castillos, with his Ireland-based creator Arturo Bustillos demonstrating the growing push from creators to champion LGBTQ+ representation; relationship coach Juliana Zetici, who encourages real-life connection in the AI age and has even written a book, titled How to Attract a Woman Like Juliana, which unpacks how to date with calm, clarity and confidence; and the UK’s first AI influencer Alex Laine, who aims to inspire young women to take up football and appeal to female Arsenal fans.

A stellar line-up of judges has been assembled, bringing their expertise across AI, marketing and social media. The judging panel includes Communications and marketing guru Andrew Bloch; 13-time Emmy-winning comedy writer Gil Rief; CEO of MCR agency Sergi Cerrato; and Kevin Van Witt (Creator of The Monster Library). Entries will be assessed on four criteria: quality, social clout, brand appeal and inspiration.

The AI Personality of the Year Awards have launched a prize fund of $90,000. The overall winner will receive $10,000, while category winners across AI entertainers, lifestyle creators, comedians, fitness experts, and fictional personalities will receive cash prizes and platform benefits from OpenArt, Fanvue and ElevenLabs.

At the centre of the AI Influencer movement is OpenArt. With over 9 million creators active on the platform every month, it has become a leading destination for building and scaling virtual personalities. "With such a large community of creators exploring the possibilities of AI on OpenArt, our platform is focused on democratizing virtual storytelling," said Chloe Fang, head of strategy & partnerships at OpenArt. "Our goal is to empower everyone to build a personality, a world, and a community around it, without needing a studio budget or production team.”

Fang said the awards grew directly out of the momentum from OpenArt’s first AI Influencer Summit earlier this year.  "The overwhelming enthusiasm at our Summit in January clearly demonstrated the need for greater acknowledgment of this community, so we decided to launch the AI Personality of the Year awards with Fanvue and ElevenLabs.”

AI Influencers like Aitana Lopez earn over $20,000 per month through brand partnerships and direct-to-fan subscriptions on monetisation platform, Fanvue.

"The commercial potential of AI Influencers is huge," said Will Monange, co-founder and CEO at Fanvue. "This industry is powered by imaginative individuals, creators who may prefer not to be public-facing themselves, leveraging AI to realise their visions and scale and monetise them on Fanvue." 

"We're seeing AI Influencers across genres, from music to acting, sport and lifestyle, join the platform, engage with fans and monetise content.” Monange added.

Fanvue already hosts globally recognised AI influencers like Aitana Lopez alongside human celebrities including Cardi B and Alisha Lehmann, highlighting how virtual and human creators increasingly operate within the same ecosystem.

The program is also backed by ElevenLabs, the AI voice platform, ensuring entries are judged across every dimension of a digital personality. 

Head of Chroma Awards at ElevenLabs, Matty Shimura, commented:
"This industry is moving at a rapid pace. 18 months ago the number of AI Influencers globally was in the thousands, but now we’re looking at millions. The progress over the past year has been staggering, and we’re excited to help spotlight and support the next wave of talent emerging in such a rapidly evolving space."

Entries open March 23 for one month. Existing AI Influencers can enter through creating content on the OpenArt platform, while creators can also build brand new virtual talent and enter the awards. Weekly winners will be announced throughout the competition, with grand winners revealed in May. To enter, creators must develop their AI influencer on the OpenArt platform and submit at www.AIpersonality.ai.

Media Contact:
For more information, images and other assets, please contact ryan@ideafarmer.co.uk or gabriella@ideafarmer.co.uk. Interviews with judges, ambassadors, entrants and awards organisers available on request.

About OpenArt
OpenArt is the leading all-in-one generative AI creative platform for visual storytellers, empowering creators to bring characters, stories, brands and worlds to life. With first access to the latest AI models, unified creative workflows, and tools designed around persistent characters and storytelling, OpenArt enables the creation of AI influencers, virtual brands, and original media formats. Founded to push the boundaries of AI creative expression, OpenArt is defining the standard for the next generation of visual storytelling.

About the AI Influencer Summit
Organized by OpenArt, the AI Influencer Summit is the annual meeting point for leaders in entertainment, advertising, technology, and the creator economy. Together, we explore how AI is reshaping storytelling, redefining brand engagement, and transforming how audiences experience media.

About Fanvue
Fanvue is the fastest-growing subscription platform in the creator economy, with 17 million monthly active users and over 250,000 creators.

About the World AI Creator Awards
The Fanvue World AI Creator Awards delivered Miss AI in 2024. Over 2,500 AI Influencers entered. Kenza Layli, an AI Influencer created to empower women in the Middle East earned the inaugural title. Kenza has returned as an Official Ambassador for AI Personality of the Year 2026.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bbea9609-2f02-4ef9-ab31-ed450ecdaee3
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/82a7d307-0fd6-4329-ac41-23642d7e0ba2