Meet the Promptfluencer: the newest species in the digital influencer zoo. They don’t build models. They don’t study systems. But they know how to say “Hey GPT, write me a thread on sentient toasters” and slap it on social media like it’s philosophy.
In an era where artificial intelligence can write essays, generate images, and simulate personalities, all you need to go viral is a trendy prompt, some well-placed emojis, and the ability to pretend you invented curiosity.
These people are not thought leaders. They’re content cosplayers.
They’re the ones:
- Posting AI-generated poetry and acting like they channeled the ghost of Rimbaud.
- Making tutorials like “How to get GPT to act like your emotionally unavailable therapist.”
- Sharing threads with prompts that start with “Act as an expert in nuclear fusion and explain it to a golden retriever.”
The problem? It dilutes the public’s understanding of what AI is.
It turns complex, world-changing tools into performative accessories—digital feather boas for clout-chasers. And while they look like they’re demystifying AI, what they’re really doing is gamifying it.
We don’t need promptfluencers.
We need critical thinkers.
We need people asking hard questions about labor, bias, surveillance, agency—not just posting, “Look what ChatGPT wrote when I asked it to be my boyfriend 😍”
So next time you see a promptfluencer go viral, remember:
They’re not advancing the AI conversation. They’re selling prompts like they’re perfume samples at a mall kiosk.