AI’s influencer push for women is getting louder

AI companies are increasingly packaging their products for young women as fashion, beauty, and lifestyle tools rather than technical gadgets. The strategy is visible in Meta’s June 2026 campaign for its new “Kylie Edition” AI-powered glasses, fronted by Kylie Jenner, and it’s spreading across shopping apps, podcasts, and creator-led beauty products.

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Meta’s rollout went well beyond a celebrity ad. The company introduced 26 combinations of frames, colors, and lenses, launched a dedicated Instagram account, put Jenner on billboards in New York and Los Angeles, and hosted a launch event attended by names including Law Roach, Nara Smith, and Peggy Gou. The pitch was clear: these were not being sold as intimidating hardware, but as a desirable accessory.

That framing lines up with a real usage gap. A 2026 Pew Research Center survey found 27 percent of men said they used chatbots daily, versus 20 percent of women. A separate survey from Lean In, the nonprofit founded by former Meta executive Sheryl Sandberg, found 33 percent of men used AI daily or constantly at work, compared with 27 percent of women.

Early signs suggest the lifestyle approach can work. Glossy, citing Dash Social data, reported that Meta Glasses generated 275 million social media impressions, 9 million engagements, and 97,000 mentions in the week around the launch. Jenner’s 3 promotional Instagram posts drew a combined 5.5 million likes, while @metaglasses neared 100,000 followers within 11 days.

How Swan Beauty and Phia are selling AI

Other companies are taking a similar route. Swan Beauty sells a $795 smart mirror that analyzes skin, recommends products, guides makeup application, and records content. Although it had been available since 2023, the company broke through online after flying creator Brigette Pheloung, known as Acquired Style, and 16 friends to St. Barth’s for an April 2026 bachelorette trip branded “Acquired A Husband.”

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The company said the campaign drove a 140,000 percent jump in TikTok profile views, a 650 percent week-over-week increase in mirror sales, a 4,535 percent increase in iOS app downloads, and a 4,900 percent increase in subscriptions.

Then there’s Phia, the shopping platform launched in April 2025 by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, former Stanford roommates. Its app and browser extension help users compare prices, find secondhand alternatives, and estimate resale value. The company says it has reached 1.5 million users and partnered with 9,600 brands.

Phia’s marketing extends into media. Gates and Kianni also host The Burnouts, a weekly podcast about building a company in their 20s while dealing with friendship, dating, money, and burnout. Guests have included Paris Hilton, Kris Jenner, Chelsea Handler, and Karlie Kloss. In 2026, the company raised a $35.5 million Series A, bringing total funding to $43.5 million. Investors include Khloé Kardashian, Mindy Kaling, Sydney Sweeney, Paris Hilton, Alix Earle, Jessica Alba, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Rachel Zoe.

Adoption pressure meets privacy and trust concerns

Celebrities are also encouraging women to use AI more directly. Reese Witherspoon urged adoption in an April Instagram post that was later deleted, while Mel Robbins promoted Microsoft Copilot in another deleted post about using chatbots to organize finances. Sandra Bullock, Demi Moore, Paris Hilton, and even Sophia Amoruso have made similar arguments: AI is becoming unavoidable, and women should learn to use it.

But the resistance is real. A 2026 study found women were about twice as likely to expect AI to harm them personally as to expect benefits. Those fears are especially tangible when AI appears in consumer products.

Meta’s glasses can capture photos and videos from the wearer’s perspective, raising privacy concerns. Some male creators have used the glasses to secretly film women in public, and reports have shown users can hide the small white recording light. In July, Meta announced an update that shuts off the camera if that light has been damaged or tampered with.

Phia has also come under scrutiny. A July 9 Bloomberg investigation found the extension could insert Phia’s affiliate tracking information into purchases the company had not helped generate.