Influencer Marketing: How AI And Infrastructure Unlock Brand Growth

Forbes

5 days ago

AI is changing how creator marketing works, from identifying talent to measuring results. But most teams still aren't set up to take full advantage.
The reason? Creator marketing lacks the infrastructure other parts of marketing rely on. There's no standard tech stack, no universal system, and much of the work still lives in spreadsheets, decks, or tools brands don't even own.
That's a problem. Creator marketing is no longer experimental. According to Deloitte Digital's 2025 State of Social Research, creators now account for nearly a quarter of all social media budgets, more than any other line item. With investments at that scale, brands need a system that works.
At the recent event, Digital Entertainment World, leaders from Traackr, Grin, Aspire, Later, and CreatorIQ joined Edelman's Steph Money to explore how AI is closing the infrastructure gap and what brands need to run creator marketing like any other core function of their business.
Creator discovery is evolving from instinct to insight. AI is helping teams go beyond manual searches to uncover patterns in content, sentiment, and audience behavior.
'AI can scan performance, content style, sentiment, and audience match, then generate a short list aligned to your goals,' said Olivia McNaughten, Head of Marketing at Grin. 'You might find a creator who performs well, but if they're difficult to work with, that has a cost, too. AI can't see that. Only people can.'
AI allows marketers to identify creators with real influence in relevant communities. It enables a more strategic approach to building creator portfolios similar to how media teams optimize media buys. Because AI handles the repetitive work, marketers have more time for what only humans can do: build trust and shape creative ideas.
For many brands, creator data lives in too many places or isn't easily accessed. When programs are outsourced or fragmented, data ends up in spreadsheets, PowerPoints, or platforms the brand doesn't control. That makes it hard to track performance or build on what's working.
'You can't build anything sustainable if every campaign starts from zero,' said Taylor Rodriguez, Global VP of Customer Experience at Traackr. 'We talk to teams who have been running creator programs for years, but they can't tell you which partnerships are worth reinvesting in or what moved the needle. Without the right system, all that knowledge disappears.'
Jacob Clark, VP of Customer Success at Aspire, added, 'We treat creator relationship data like we would customer data. Centralized, searchable, and actionable. When you build that kind of system, you're not just tracking performance. You're capturing the full history of how a partnership evolves. That helps you see who to reinvest in, what works across markets, and where future opportunities are hiding.'
'With AI layered on top, these insights become even more powerful. The more signals you collect, creator history, engagement, and performance, the more innovative and tailored the strategy becomes,' added Rodriguez.
More content is being created than ever before. But more doesn't mean better. AI is helping marketers understand which content is driving real results and why.
'There's going to be a massive amount of content, and that's going to change what performance looks like,' said Bill Stanton, Head of Enterprise Sales at Later. 'Certain thresholds, certain metrics that were important a year ago, might now be watered down or no longer relevant.' He added, 'It's not about more data. It's about getting the right signals to make smarter calls about what's working and worth scaling.'
'You can't just track what went viral,' said Nate Harris, VP of Product Innovation at CreatorIQ. 'You have to understand why it worked and who it worked for. That's what informs your next move.'
Harris continued, 'AI helps identify patterns. What kind of content drives action, and for which audiences? That insight is what turns performance data into a strategic advantage.'
AI makes performance analysis more than a reporting function. It becomes a feedback loop that helps teams optimize creative, distribution, and targeting with each cycle.
As creator budgets increase, so does the pressure to deliver results at scale. AI helps teams move faster, reduce friction, and make decisions with more clarity.
'The goal isn't just automation. It's elevation,' said Steph Money, SVP@Edelman AI 'AI gives marketers the power to scale strategy, not just execution. The real unlock is when creativity and data flow through the same infrastructure. You're not just producing content faster; you're making better decisions at every stage.'
When creator discovery, relationship management, and performance are connected, Creator marketing becomes a continuous function like paid media or CRM.
'If we set up the systems the right way, creators get to spend more time making, and brands get to learn faster from what they make,' said Harris.
That approach turns creator marketing into a long-term growth engine, not a side project.
Creator marketing is evolving, but many brands are stuck in trial-and-error mode. Budgets are growing. Expectations are rising. And AI is accelerating what's possible. But none of that matters without infrastructure.
As the speakers from Traackr, Grin, Aspire, Later, and CreatorIQ emphasized, creator marketing lacks what every other discipline has: a dedicated tech stack. That absence makes it harder to learn, measure, and scale. Without structure, even the best creative strategies won't go far.
The brands that succeed won't be the ones with the most content. They'll be the ones with a clear system and the ability to make that system smarter with every campaign