The Creator Economy’s Next War Is Over AI Ownership

InnovationCreator EconomyThe Creator Economy’s Next War Is Over AI OwnershipByIan Shepherd,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Ian Shepherd is an investor and host of the Business of CreatorsFollow AuthorMay 15, 2026, 01:35pm EDTMay 15, 2026, 01:38pm EDTLondon-based model Alexsandrah Gondora poses for a photograph with her on-screen AI twin "Alex", created by digital modelling agency, The Diigitals in the AFP offices in London on February 21, 2025. My artificial intelligence (AI) replica "basically does the hard work so I don't have to do it," jokes London-based model Alexsandrah Gondora, who enjoys being able to "be in two places at once." (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP) / TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY LUCIE LEQUIER (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesLast month, YouTube Shorts rolled out new AI-powered avatar features that allow creators to generate videos using AI versions of themselves. At nearly the same time, TikTok superstar Khaby Lame was linked to a $975m AI likeness deal that later drew industry scrutiny as questions emerged around whether the transaction had formally closed.Taken together, the developments point to a rapidly emerging reality inside influencer marketing: creator contracts are no longer just about sponsored posts and content usage rights. They are becoming negotiations over digital identity, likeness rights and AI-generated content ownership.AI Has Turned Standard Creator Contracts Into “A Legal Minefield”For years, likeness clauses in creator agreements were largely boilerplate. A brand would secure rights to use campaign assets across social channels, paid media or websites for a defined period of time. But generative AI has dramatically expanded what those assets can become.Now, creators, agencies and brands are confronting a far more complicated question: who owns an AI version of a person?The urgency is being accelerated by widespre...