Robots Love a Parade! AI and Fake Engagement in Social Media
Have you ever noticed an old Facebook post suddenly getting a wave of unexpected likes and shares? That’s been happening to us at the Chamber, and after a little digging, we discovered that some of this new “engagement” isn’t coming from people at all—it’s coming from AI-generated accounts.
For example, our Facebook Live video from the 2022 Independence Day Parade (yes, the rainy one!) recently picked up new engagement from profiles that don’t appear to be real. The same thing happened with our 2024 Ladies Night Out video, which already had great native engagement but suddenly started circulating again with some suspiciously generic comments and likes. Same goes for our 2023 Hometown Holiday Video.
When we dig into those profiles interacting with our older posts, we find examples like “Rebecka” who is listed as a “Digital Creator.” You’ll notice AI-generated photos accompanied by one-word descriptions, like “Amazing,” “Beautiful,” or “Wow.”
We don’t know Rebecka in the real world, so we won’t cast aspersions on “her” motivations. She might be one of those AI robots who loves rainy parades, or maybe Rebekah is excited about our next Ladies Night Out event.
AI Puts On a Human Skin
More than likely, accounts like Rebecka are trying to pull a “human skin” over their AI profiles. By sharing the high-energy Ladies Night Out video, full of color and life, it helps an AI account like Rebecka’s to appear more human. For an account like Rebecka’s, it makes sense to share posts from the real world to inject the sense of authenticity into the otherwise weird and shallow world of driveling posts.
At first, we thought, Well, hey—free engagement! But as we’ve looked closer, we’ve realized this is part of a larger trend happening across social media.
Why Are There So Many AI Bots in My Facebook Feed?
AI tools are available to everyone, so it’s not surprising that you will see more and more AI in your life, ready or not. But the big platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, also are intentionally unleashing AI bot profiles.
In January 2025, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, faced significant backlash after users discovered AI-generated profiles interacting on these platforms. These accounts, designed to mimic real users complete with profiles and posts, blurred the lines between authentic and artificial interactions, leading to widespread concern.
How a Rights Owner Might Make Money On Your Content
Now this is pretty clever. Imagine you made a super popular video using a song from Canva or a music snippet from Instagram. You love it - the song is just perfect for the background music. Let's imagine further that you don't own the rights to the music. But someone else does! Maybe a music company or the artist with the rights to that song puts an AI bot on the case and spots your video. The rights owner puts in a claim to Meta for any ad revenue generated from the video (your video, their song). Now they pump AI bots at that video to artificially boost engagement and drive up the potential ad revenue that will be diverted from your pocket to theirs. Pretty neat, hunh? It's like harvesting another farmer's field, and it's legal and creepy all at the same time.
Why Is This Happening?
The rise in AI-generated accounts can be attributed to several factors:
- Engagement Farming: AI bots interact with content to appear legitimate, building a history of activity before potentially being used for spam or other purposes.
- Algorithm Manipulation: Some entities use AI accounts to test social media algorithms, determining what content gains traction to enhance their own visibility.
- Keyword or Hashtag Triggers: Posts containing specific keywords or hashtags may automatically attract AI-driven engagement.
Potential Implications for Businesses
While AI-generated engagement is generally harmless, it does have impacts that you or your social media person needs to consider:
- Distorted Analytics: Inflated engagement metrics can mislead businesses about the actual reach and impact of their content.
- Reduced Authenticity: A surge in AI interactions can erode the genuine community feel of a page, potentially deterring real users.
- Security Risks: Some AI accounts may be designed to gather information for phishing or other malicious activities.
And we have yet to find an AI bot willing to volunteer at the Independence Day Parade or other events. If you want to be better than the robots, ask how you can help at this year’s parade, rain or shine.