AI-generated virtual internet celebrity "Wanda" joins hands with social media to spread cancer prevention knowledge

In today's digital age, the application of artificial intelligence has expanded to various fields, and recent research shows that AI-generated social media influencers can effectively spread cancer prevention information at low cost, becoming a new option for public health communication.

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Despite advances in treatments, prevention remains the most effective way to reduce the burden of cancer. According to statistics, more than two-thirds of early cancer deaths in 2020 are preventable. However, most of the existing digital resources are unknown to the target groups, especially young people who prefer digital communication methods. Data shows that 37% to 50% of cancer deaths are related to modifiable risk factors, such as being overweight, smoking and drinking, so raising public awareness of these risks is particularly important.

In this study, researchers used Midjourney, a generative AI tool, to create a virtual influencer named "Wanda". She is a young woman with light skin who aims to use social media to spread information about five common risk factors for cancer, including alcohol, HPV, unhealthy diet, tobacco and sun exposure. The research team published five messages in a row on Wenda's Instagram account, combining two AI-generated pictures and a preventive message. The promotion cost of each message was 20 euros.

Research found that the campaign received nearly 10,000 impressions in just 10 days. Through different advertising strategies, researchers observed the engagement of users of different age groups. Targeted ads are great at reaching younger users, while automated ads have better reach with older users. Among them, content about HPV attracted the most user engagement, while posts about sun exposure had relatively few posts.

Although the research results show that AI-generated influencers have broad communication potential, they also face challenges of trust and authenticity. Future research needs to explore how to enhance the interaction between users and AI influencers to increase engagement.