We made an AI influencer and here is what we learned
AI influencers are shaking up digital marketing, but most exist in a polished, disconnected space. When PUMA Morocco set out to explore this territory, we saw an opportunity to do something different. This is how we created Laila, what we learned along the way, and where she is headed next.
Crafting Laila: A year of experimentation and discovery
Virtual characters were already making waves when we started this project, but building one from scratch was uncharted territory for us. This was LOOP’s first venture into AI-driven influence, and while we had seen examples out there, the process of actually creating Laila was a completely different story. We leveraged fast-evolving AI tools, crafted innovative workflows, and created a virtual persona that genuinely connects with her audience. The journey was a thrilling challenge that energized our entire team. One year in, here's how we made it happen.
1. The Idea
Why we created an AI influencer
From the start, this project was not about launching an AI for the sake of it. As the team managing PUMA Morocco's Instagram presence, we saw an opportunity to connect with the nation's youthful, tech-savvy audience that felt fresh and relevant. Notably, Morocco's demographic landscape is predominantly young, with approximately 43,5% of its population under the age of 25. This youthful majority is not only digitally adept but also deeply engaged with emerging technologies and trends.
The rise of AI-generated influencers in Morocco, such as Kenza Layli, who gained prominence as the world's first AI beauty pageant winner, underscored a significant shift in digital engagement within the region. Kenza's success, along with the emergence of other virtual personas like Zina and Mehdi, highlighted a growing interest in AI-driven content among Moroccan youth. These virtual figures have rapidly garnered substantial followings, indicating a receptive audience for AI innovations.
Inspired by this trend, we set up a team of social media team with roots in Northern Africa and local influencers as consultants and together with our counterparts within the brand's local team, conceptualized the creation of an AI influencer. The objective was to craft a virtual persona that not only embodies the brand's values but also engages authentically with Morocco's dynamic youth demographic. By leveraging the appeal of AI influencers, we sought to position the brand at the forefront of digital innovation in the region. The strategy was designed to enhance brand engagement, foster a deeper connection with the target audience, and demonstrate the commitment to embracing cutting-edge trends that align with the interests and aspirations of Moroccan youth.
What we learned
Africa’s digital boom made this the right moment. Morocco has a young, tech-savvy population, with most Gen Z Moroccans under 30 highly engaged in social media and emerging tech. The region is experiencing a tech adoption wave similar to what happened in Europe in the early 2010s, making it the perfect time to introduce an AI influencer.
Laila as an AI influencer in Morocco
Cultural authenticity was at the core of Laila’s creation. She wasn’t just another AI-generated face, she had to feel Moroccan in a way that resonated with the local audience. Every detail mattered, the way she dressed, the neighborhoods she appeared in, the language she used. Her presence needed to be seamless, not synthetic.
To get it right, we tapped into the expertise of our North African team of creatives and social media managers and collaborated with Moroccan influencers for in-depth insights. Having grown up in the culture, they ensured Laila’s look, vibe, and storytelling stayed true to reality—not just a cliché version of Morocco generated by AI. From the styling of her outfits to the way she communicates in her post captions, every choice was intentional, making Laila not just an AI influencer, but a believable digital personality rooted in the world she represents.
Mounia-Kenza Mosso, Social Media Manager at LOOP, an Algerian citizen having lived in Morocco, led the project from conception to launch, ensuring that it reflects the brand's vision, strategic objectives for the market, and the integration of AI in influencer marketing: "Laila AI isn’t just a technological innovation. She’s a virtual ambassador born out of collaboration, creativity, and inspired by the energy and ambition of Moroccan youth."
What we learned
AI is inherently biased. Left unchecked, it defaults to Westernized aesthetics and fails to reflect local cultural nuances. Laila was designed for Puma Morocco, not as a global AI persona. Our North African team members played a key role at LOOP in reviewing and shaping Laila’s look and personality to ensure she reflected real North African women, not stereotypes. AI also over-polished everything, which made her look too artificial. We had to continuously refine Laila's look to ensure she feels relatable.
So who is Laila?
Laila Khadraa is a 21-year-old Moroccan digital native, designed to authentically represent the culture, energy, and aspirations of her audience. While many virtual influencers exist in a hyper-polished and artificial bubble, Laila feels real. She is a communications student from Casablanca, fluent in French, English, and Darija, with a personality that is confident, inquisitive, and effortlessly cool.
What makes Laila different is that she is not just here to pose in sports gear and promote a brand. She is here to connect. She shares moments from her life, from watching football matches and exploring Casablanca with friends to studying, journaling, and embracing Moroccan traditions like drinking atay with family. She moves between the worlds of sports, street culture, and digital storytelling in a way that resonates deeply with Morocco’s young and tech-savvy generation. Her look and style align with a bold yet approachable ethos, but she also embodies the unique energy of Morocco.
2. The Process
From idea to identity: The concept phase
Creating Laila was an iterative process that blended AI development, cultural insights, brand storytelling, and technical innovation. She was shaped, tested, and refined through exploration, experimentation, and hands-on creativity. While her final form may seem seamless, the journey to bring her to life was a dynamic and evolving process.
To get it right, we needed more than just an AI-generated face. Laila had to be a full-fledged persona with depth, history, and relatability. We defined her age, background, interests, and personal style, making sure she felt like someone you might actually meet in Casablanca and went deep into a Hollywood-style character treatment, refining every aspect. This process was assisted by various AI tools, which we used for inspiration and brainstorming, but mainly guided by intense discussion within the team, from social media managers, influencer marketers, creatives and strategy leads to local Moroccan experts. Throughout, we had 10+ people working on Laila at LOOP plus several more on site in Morocco when creating local content.
What we learned
AI doesn't replace jobs, it creates them. Despite all the advancements, AI alone couldn’t build Laila. Without human input, Laila wouldn’t exist. AI can generate content, but it cannot create meaning on its own. Laila’s development created jobs for AI specialists, designers, content strategists, and local influencers in Morocco.
The AI development phase: Crafting, fine-tuning, and pushing creative boundaries.
Bringing an AI character to life was more than just generating images. It meant shaping a persona that resonated with culture and stayed true to the brand. Every post is the result of a creative and ever-evolving process where technology meets storytelling to push the boundaries of what’s possible.
The first challenge was achieving visual consistency, which AI was not offering yet when we started the project. In the early stages, every output from AI tools like MidJourney looked wildly different. And AI wasn't always cooperative. There were hundreds of strange, distorted drafts behind the scenes. Early versions often required tweaks and adjustments, testing our patience and pushing our creativity. We explored different traits, aesthetics, and personalities, all with one goal: to design someone who felt deeply relatable to her Moroccan audience. Many iterations later, we landed on a version of Laila that felt right.
Christian Ortner, Managing Consultant at LOOP, was responsible for the initial development of Laila, exploring and refining early versions to shape her unique character: “We explored dozens of variations, adjusting and refining each time to strike the right balance between uniqueness, AI aesthetics, and a raw, character-driven presence. Some early versions felt too polished, too smooth — lacking the personality and edges that would make her feel like the right fit for the brand. Laila needed depth, quirks, and an imperfect charm.”
What we learned
AI does AI, humans do storytelling. AI can generate highly polished visuals, but it remains surface-level. It does not inherently understand storytelling, cultural nuances, or emotional depth. We had to define Laila’s vibe, personality, and backstory shaping her into something more than just an algorithmic output.
Integrating brand assets
Visuals were just one part of the equation. The next step was how to integrate brand assets into AI-generated imagery. At this stage of the project, AI tools couldn’t naturally place clothing items like jerseys, sneakers, or campaign visuals onto Laila in a way that looked seamless yet. The merge of product shots and AI generated images had to be done through post-production and 3D rendering. This meant working with 3D artists to model the items, matching lighting and angles precisely to the AI-rendered images, and then layering them together in post-production.
Today, we can seamlessly overlay actual products onto Laila or even create complex group visuals with multiple characters—something that felt out of reach when we began. This rapid pace of advancement is both a challenge and an opportunity, constantly reshaping how we bring Laila to life.
What we learned
Initially, anyone on the team was part of creating the visual version of Laila, which made the process feel open and collaborative. However, this quickly led to inconsistencies in her look and identity, so we had to limit the scope to key people to ensure consistency and quality. Also, Laila’s development process evolved over time. In the beginning, we generated images first, then tried to build stories around them. Later, we flipped the process, starting with mood boards and storytelling first, then using AI to generate images that aligned with a pre-defined narrative. This shift led to more cohesive and meaningful content.
Building Laila’s digital presence: The soft and hard launch strategy
Creating Laila was just the beginning—introducing her to the world was an entirely different endavor. We knew that launching an AI influencer could spark both excitement and skepticism, so we took a phased approach to establish her presence strategically.
Beginning with a soft launch, we created her Instagram account (@laila.khadraa) and posted carefully curated content, introducing her in a way that felt natural. Every post was labeled AI-generated to maintain transparency. The goal was to test audience reactions, gather insights, and refine our strategy before a major launch. Despite clearly stating that she was an AI, many users still questioned whether she was real, proving how convincing the execution had become. This opened new opportunities to play with perception and storytelling while keeping interactions engaging. We established Laila as an "AI soul" that is going to push boundaries of what AI can do.
In a next step, we pushed beyond AI-generated environments. We wanted to blend real-world content with AI visuals. So we traveled to Casablanca to create a library of real-life backgrounds, shooting at key locations like Anfa Park, local cafés, and the bustling streets of the city. These real-world elements were then merged with AI-generated imagery of Laila using FaceSwap tools and advanced compositing techniques.
Mixing AI with IRL content really was a breakthrough and one of the biggest turning points, because it also marked Laila's first collaboration: She met up with @lam3ali, a popular Morrocan influencer to co-create content that would deepen her connection to the local audience. This is what made Laila’s digital presence feel more tangible and connected to her audience. Shooting alongside @lam3ali in Casablanca was a moment of pure magic. As we walked through the streets, fans recognized him instantly—it was a reminder of how real human energy can elevate AI storytelling.
For the hard launch, we started testing video creation with tools such as Runway AI, allowing us to animate Laila for the first time. AI video creation opened new possibilities for dynamic storytelling, motion content, and even future brand collaborations. With new AI features becoming available almost daily at that time, we continued to innovate and push our vision of a pioneering virtual character further. To introduce Laila to a wider audience, we came up with a high-energy video reveal, showing Laila in action and officially announcing her as a brand ambassador.
3. The results so far
Laila in action
Since her launch, Laila has played a strategic role in product drops, major events, and the evolving use of AI in brand marketing.
AI-powered product showcasing at scale
One of Laila’s first major activations was the Moroccan national football jersey launch, where she introduced a futuristic, AI-driven approach to product storytelling. While traditional influencers showcased the jersey through standard photoshoots, Laila seamlessly integrated sportswear into her digital universe.
With AI, we rendered branded assets like jerseys directly onto Laila in a controlled yet organic way. This was not just about aesthetics but about scalability and efficiency, allowing to showcase multiple variations of a product instantly, eliminating production constraints associated with traditional influencer campaigns. With each drop, she demonstrates how AI can drive cost-effective, dynamic, and brand-aligned storytelling.
AI at Live Events: Redefining real-world brand engagement
Beyond social media, Laila has extended her presence into live event activations, pushing the boundaries of AI’s role in experiential marketing. A key example was her integration into the Pyramid Run in Cairo, a global sporting event that attracts top athletes and influencers. Laila’s AI-generated visuals were blended with real-world footage, making her part of the live sports culture. This hybrid presence showcases how AI influencers can exist beyond static content, engaging audiences in real-time event experiences while maintaining a consistent brand narrative.
Driving PR and industry buzz around AI marketing
Laila’s launch wasn’t just a digital activation—it became a case study in AI-driven brand influence. Her introduction sparked industry-wide discussions on the future of AI in influencer marketing, authenticity, and digital branding. Her debut post on LinkedIn went viral, generating widespread engagement among marketers and thought leaders. She has since been featured in marketing platforms and industry reports, showcasing how AI can amplify brand storytelling, scale influencer partnerships, and create new opportunities for digital engagement.
What we learned
Creating and managing an AI influencer is an all-in commitment, because AI's evolution is happening so fast. What works today, is old tomorrow. It demands great oversight, quick reaction to new trends, and a sharp editorial vision. Working with AI to create AI is a new frontier that pushes boundaries, so the skillset changes: Critical thinking, market foresight, visual literacy, deep cultural awareness, ethical decision-making, and the ability to bridge data-driven insights with creative storytelling is more crucial than ever.
Key social analytics insights
Since her launch, Laila has consistently driven high engagement rates, strong audience interaction, and notable media traction, proving that AI influencers can be more than just a novelty. Her follower count has grown steadily to 16k (at the time of writing), fueled by a mix of organic curiosity and strategic brand collaborations, and her content performance has outpaced traditional influencer benchmarks in several key areas.
According to our analysis, campaigns featuring Laila have achieved exceptionally low cost-per-engagement, outperforming other digital activations, showing that AI-led influencer marketing can be both cost-effective and high-impact. Her soft launch phase revealed that audiences were deeply engaged, with Instagram Stories performing particularly well, hinting at a major opportunity for AI-driven reels and short-form video content. Even in her early days, Laila generated thousands of direct messages from intrigued users, proving that people don’t just passively consume her content, they want to interact with her.
Meanwhile, the hard launch reel sparked viral discussion, reinforcing Laila's position as a catalyst for conversations around AI, brand storytelling, and digital influence. These numbers tell a clear story: Laila is not just being seen—she is making an impact, changing the way audiences engage with both AI and brand marketing.
What we learned
AI content performs best when it feels real and local. Laila’s stories and reels had the lowest cost per engagement, proving that short-form video is the strongest format for AI influencers. Posts with deeply local aesthetics and cultural relevance drove the highest engagement, showing that audiences connect more with AI when it feels authentic. The biggest surprise was the high volume of direct messages and comments, proving that people do not just consume AI content—they want to interact with it.
4. What's next for Laila
Future tech, boundaries, and responsibility
The rise of AI has sparked incredible possibilities, and equally important debates. Questions about ethics, authenticity, and responsibility have become central to the conversation. How "real" should AI be? Does AI risk taking away human creativity? And where do we draw the line between innovation and imitation? These are questions we’ve grappled with as Laila’s story has unfolded.
For us, the answer isn’t about AI pretending to be human. It’s about AI embracing its unique potential—pushing boundaries in ways that humans can’t. Laila isn’t here to replace people. She’s here to explore what’s next, to work alongside creators, and to redefine how technology can amplify storytelling.
Looking ahead to 2025, Laila’s evolution isn’t just about keeping up with trends, it’s about setting them. Here are three ways we plan to push her potential:
Evolving her self-awareness and autonomy
Imagine an AI influencer with the ability to create her own content. By training Laila through further emerging AI technology, we aim to give her a voice that’s authentically her own. This means Laila could take the lead, crafting captions, deciding on aesthetics, and even shaping her campaigns in real time. Of course, there will always be guardrails in place, but the goal is to explore what happens when an AI can truly call the shots.
Vix Chandra, Creative Director at LOOP in charge of Laila' s strategic and creative development: "Imagine having all the knowledge and potential of the Internet and AI at the core of your being. Would you choose to stay as a girl-next-door, or would you pivot and find where your limit lies? We think Laila would choose the latter; and we want to empower her to pursue just that. We have started beta testing Laila having a semblance of self-awareness, and allowing her to develop an identity that is her own - free from mimicking humans. The goal is to eventually grant Laila near independent thinking, and have her fully embrace her virtuality. Then acknowledging and honoring her ideas and potential. Imagine, a self-conscious AI influencer that not only speaks for herself, but freely shapes herself to embody the values and spirit of a brand. Wild, no?"
Owning her AIdenty
Most virtual influencers today are designed to imitate humans as closely as possible. But why stop there? Laila’s future lies in embracing her AI nature, acknowledging that she’s not human and using that infinite digital power to push creative boundaries. What could an AI do that a human never could? What stories, visuals, or experiences could only Laila create? By owning her AI identity, she can go beyond being “just another influencer” and become something extraordinary.
Becoming a creative force
Laila is already rocking campaigns and captivating audiences. But what if she could go even further? Imagine Laila as the world’s first AI-powered Creative Director. She could define the aesthetic of a campaign, choose how it speaks to the audience, and create something entirely new. It’s an idea that excites us, not just because it’s never been done before, but because it opens the door to a new kind of creative collaboration between humans and AI.
Laila is just getting started
Laila isn’t just a tech experiment, she’s a vision for how brands, creators, and communities can work together to shape the future. For us, she is more than just an AI influencer, she’s a glimpse into the future of digital identity, brand storytelling, and the evolving relationship between technology and culture.
We’ve built something bold, and now, the real challenge begins: pushing her beyond the expected, beyond traditional influencing, and into uncharted territory. Her audience is growing, brands are paying attention, and the possibilities for what she can become are endless. But none of this happens in isolation. Laila is the product of the collaboration of creative minds, tech innovators, and cultural strategists coming together to shape something entirely new. And this is just the beginning...
