Google and Microsoft are throwing massive cash at social media influencers to make AI look cool—up to $600,000 for multi-month partnerships, according to sources familiar with the deals. The aggressive spending reveals how desperate Big Tech has become to win users in the AI wars, even as some creators walk away from six-figure paydays over ethical concerns. With generative AI platforms pouring over $1 billion into digital ads last year alone, the battleground has shifted to Instagram feeds, YouTube videos, and LinkedIn posts.
Google and Microsoft just opened their wallets wide for the AI influencer wars. The tech giants are paying content creators between $400,000 and $600,000 for multi-month partnerships promoting their AI tools, according to a person familiar with the deals who spoke to CNBC. That's not a typo—half a million dollars to post about chatbots and coding assistants.
The spending spree extends well beyond the two tech giants. OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta are all flooding social platforms with sponsored AI content, turning Instagram, YouTube, and even LinkedIn into promotional battlegrounds. Individual creators can command up to $100,000 per post from AI companies flush with venture capital and market cap money, according to AJ Eckstein, founder and CEO of Creator Match, an agency connecting brands to influencers.
"What we're seeing is a massive increase in creator spend from these AI brands," Eckstein told CNBC. "Every month, we're getting way more interest from AI brands" looking to build authentic connections with users. His firm works with multiple AI-focused companies including Anthropic, HeyGen, and Notion.
The numbers back up the frenzy. Generative AI platforms spent more than $1 billion on digital ads in the U.S. in 2025, up 126% from the prior year, according to data from Sensor Tower. Digital ad spending by Google and Microsoft specifically to promote AI products jumped roughly 495% in January compared with a year earlier. increased its digital ad spending more than tenfold in 2025.
