1. Introduction

In the digital age, influencers play an important role on social media. Some people are more willing to get information from social influencers instead of books. Many influencers expand their circle of influence through social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. AI helps a lot in the process. For instance, AI helps with content creation.

China and the United Kingdom are both countries with a long history, which helps form different cultures. According to the cultural dimension score from Hofstede Insights [1], China is highly collectivist (individualism score of 43), while the UK has a high individualism score of 76. Moreover, the power distance in China is much higher than that in the UK (80 vs. 35), which means that inequalities among people are more acceptable in China than in the UK. The motivation towards achievement and success has the same score in China and the UK, both at 66, which means that China and the UK are highly success-oriented and driven. Furthermore, China is a restrained society, with a low score of 24 in this dimension, while the UK is indulgent, with a high score of 69. Compared to Chinese people, British people place a higher degree of importance on leisure time. The study will learn about the differences between audiences in China and the UK to help Chinese influencers develop better in British social media.

The research question of the study is what are Generative AI’s foundations, applications and impacts to influencers in different cultural backgrounds.

2. Literature Review

Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) could be a major step forward in AI innovation that permits computers to form distinctive sorts of content like content, pictures, and music [2]. This capacity is very accommodating for critical Chinese individuals who need to pick up followers within the UK. It lets them make content that interfaces well with British audiences by adjusting their fashion, how they communicate, and how they display their thoughts, making it less demanding to overcome cultural differences. By utilizing Gen AI's capacity to get and adjust to diverse societies, influencers can make content that feels individual and fits well with both Chinese and British societies. This makes a difference interface the two foundations superior [3,4]. Indeed, even though these advances have a lot of guarantees, they too come with a few challenges. In this case, it can be difficult to create work on an expansive scale and to form beyond any doubt that the content made by AI is precise. These are important factors in the effective use of AI in cross-cultural interactions [5].

2.1. Influencers: Essentials and Employments of Generative AI

Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) employments models like Generative Antagonistic Systems (GAN) and transformer models (like GPT). These models see expansive sums of data to make modern content. These essential technologies help influencers make content approximately inventiveness, which makes a difference in the sharing data that matches British social tastes. This expertise is particularly solid for influencers in China. It permits them to make content that appears distinctive to societies whereas too interfacing with British audiences at the same time.

Based on this basis, utilizing Gen AI to form content is solid. AI devices like GPT-3 can offer assistance to influencers who make exceptionally personalized social media posts and articles. These instruments can pay consideration to little dialect and cultural differences in British audiences. These devices offer assistance to vital individuals effortlessly making content that interfaces with British audiences and meets their likes and needs. This combination of composing and pictures shows how AI makes a difference and makes strides in communication between diverse societies.

But, the complicated nature of AI modeling can lead to a few issues. These models regularly require a parcel of computer power and assets, which can make it difficult for numerous influencers to utilize them [3]. Moreover, making beyond any doubt that AI-created content is rectified and fits well with distinctive cultures is an imperative range to ponder. This is often particularly genuine in circumstances where errors might lead to genuine issues [5]. It's vital to handle these challenges in the future so that we can make the foremost of Gen AI. This will offer assistance imperative Chinese individuals interface way better with British audiences.

2.2. Followers: The Impact of Generative AI on User Interaction

From the followers' point of see, generative artificial intelligence progresses their encounter by giving them content that matches their social and individual likes. It too frequently incorporates personalized recommendations. This great user experience comes from the AI's capacity to see a parcel of data and customize content to coordinate individual inclinations, making the involvement more curious and important [3,4]. For case, Chinese influencers can utilize AI apparatuses like GPT-3 to form social media posts that interface well with their British fans. They do this by understanding little dialect and cultural differences, which makes a difference in inducing more likes and comments from their followers.

Gen AI has also been effectively utilized in marketing, as appeared by illustrations from Nike and Coca-Cola, which highlight its conceivable outcomes. Nike effectively got more individuals to associate with them by utilizing personalized content in their versatile apps and social media. They utilized AI to create, beyond any doubt, their posts coordinated what their followers enjoyed [6]. Coca-Cola's "Share a Coke" campaign utilized chatbots fueled by AI to make individual associations with clients, making a difference in making them more locked in and steadfast [7]. These cases appear that utilizing AI to personalize and connect with followers can make strides in their engagement and loyalty, especially when the content matches their culture and is balanced with their likes.

Making beyond any doubt that AI-created content is aware of distinctive societies isn't a simple assignment, and it’s imperative to remain precise. AI frameworks can misjudge things or have predispositions, which might cause issues and make cultural differences indeed harder to bargain with, particularly when individuals from distinctive societies are associated. So, it's vital to carefully check for predisposition and make any doubt the content is exactly sometime recently utilizing AI in influencer marketing. This helps keep the trust of followers [5].

2.3. Cultural and Ethical Considerations of Generative AI

Chinese influencers who need to reach British followers have to utilize generative artificial intelligence to make content that fits distinctive societies. AI models can get little cultural differences to form content that fits British traditions and values, thereby increasing fan engagement in the UK [3,4]. Be that as it may, since there's a chance of inadvertently spreading predispositions that are, as of now, within the data, we have to make these changes carefully [5]. To create beyond any doubt, AI is reasonable and open; it's exceptionally critical to construct trust and incorporate everybody when communicating in diverse societies. This will offer assistance to AI procedures to succeed in the long run [8].

There are moreover specialized issues with generative AI, like requiring a parcel of computer control. As AI models get more complicated and databases get greater, there's a developing requirement for capable computers. This may make it difficult for smaller companies or individuals with constrained assets to utilize these innovations [3].

Within the future, unused innovations like quantum computing and edge AI are progressing rapidly. They give way better ways to unravel issues by progressing, preparing control, and making AI-created content more versatile to distinctive societies [9]. These advancements will offer assistance to vital Chinese people to make content that's more individual and fits superior with British culture, making it simpler for them to draw in and keep British fans. As AI innovation makes strides, future communication between diverse societies will utilize smarter AI frameworks that can way better get and diminish cultural differences.

3. Theoretical Framework

According to Wu et al. [10], the Theory of Human-AI Interaction from the perspective of the Theory of Interactive Media (HAII-TIME) provides a valuable framework for comprehending how individuals perceive and interact with AI, which can effectively explain how the interaction between influencers, followers and AI influences the experience and trust of AI medium.

It is proposed that the affordances of AI can influence the experience of using AI medium through two distinct pathways: the cue route and the action route [11]. Considering the prominent role of action in the process of expanding followers for influencers, the research primarily focuses on the action route, which influences the experience of AI in four main sections: interaction, agency, social exchange, and mutual augmentation.

Sundar [12] claims that the "interaction" section emphasizes the engagement between users and AI. AI leverages its capabilities in data analysis and personalized content delivery to cater to users' individual preferences. Users anticipate more personalized content from AI, leading to increased human-machine interactions. For influencers, AI plays a role of assistant, helping in generating copyrights, images, and even vidoes [2]. When Gen AI successfully create the content they desire, the engement and satisfaction of AI medium will be improved.

The “Agency” highlights the synergy between AI agency and human agency, and “Social exchange” refers to the evaluation of user interactions with the interface as costs, which are weighed against the advantages provided by AI media [12]. AI needs to predict content that users might be interested in through algorithms, enabling them to access desired information in minimal time, thus maximizing the efficiency of social exchange. For instance, when a British user searches for travel guides on China, AI will proactively push more relevant content on the homepage to meet the user's information requirement. As AI content meets their needs, the user experience of AI mediums improves. According to Sundar [12], the last part, "mutual augmentation," refers to the capabilities of AI and the user's experience and feedback can promote each other. Based on the HAII-TIME model and the literature review, it is highly likely that Gen AI will assist influencers in expanding their international follower base through personalized recommendations and generating content for specific audiences tailored to the influencer's needs.

4. Methodology

This study employed a quantitative survey approach. Researchers utilized the online questionnaire method, which is considered as a cost-effective and rapid means of obtaining responses, rendering it highly suitable for collecting a large amount of data within a limited timeframe [13]. First, based on the HAII-TIME model, the researchers designed the questionnaire through China’s online questionnaire collection platform, Wenjuanxing. For example, to explore the manifestation of the "interaction" aspect in the use of social media by British users, the researchers designed questions such as "What types of content do you usually browse on the above-mentioned social media platforms (multiple choices)." Additionally, for "social exchange," researchers designed questions like "Which of the following aspects do you hope posts related to China will cover (multiple choices)" to investigate whether Chinese influencers have met the needs of British users regarding content related to China. Then, the questionnaire was distributed to the British through Facebook, which was one of the most used social media platforms by British people in 2023 [14]. Moreover, an online interview was conducted with three Chinese influencers, each possessing approximately ten thousand followers on Facebook. The interview is appropriate for obtaining highly personalized information [15] and was employed to gain insights into the perspectives of Chinese influencers on AI-generated content.

5. Findings and Prediction

In the interview, influencers acknowledged using Gen AI for copywriting and creating images, appreciating AI's comprehensive assistance and efficiency. For the questionnaire, 51 valid responses were received. Table 1 shows the basic information of the respondents, and Table 2 demonstrates British users' social media experience and their expectations for Chinese posts.

Based on the findings of the questionnaire, first, it is demonstrated that 90.2% of the British respondents exhibit a clear preference for content with a humorous style. According to Fu et al. [16], AI has the capability of style transfer, which can help influencers to create a specific style. When Chinese influencers utilize AI to create a humorous content style favored by the British, the content style preference of British users is met, making them more inclined to follow the content posted by these internet celebrities. Moreover, the "social exchange" component in the HAII-TIME Model has been facilitated, enabling users to receive the desired style from influencers.

Second, the segment of Chinese culture that captivates British users the most is traditional Chinese culture; however, the content is predominantly served to them through AI pertains more to experiences of living in China. Therefore, Chinese influencers can produce more content related to traditional culture to enhance users’ engagement and strengthen their loyalty. Moreover, this phenomenon also implies AI's need to refine personalized recommendation systems, customizing recommendations for users to meet their requirements and enhancing the "interaction" part in HAII-TIME to elevate user engagement to ensure an enhanced user experience.

Third, in the open-ended question of the survey, "What is your opinion on AI's involvement in the content creation of bloggers?" 62.75% of the respondents hope AI can provide accurate information. Shen et al. [17] also state that one limitation of AI is that it can generate plausible but incorrect responses. Since fake information may impact the “social exchange” part negatively, followers need to spend more time understanding the situation. Influencers need to critically evaluate AI's responses during the creation process to ensure the authenticity of the published content, mitigating the risk of decreasing user satisfaction and endeavoring to maintain a positive engagement and user’ experience.

Table 1: Basic information of the respondents

Table 2: British Users' Social Media Experience and Expectations for Chinese Posts

6. Conclusion

The study explores the social preference of the British audience regarding AI, trying to use AI to help Chinese influencers attract more British followers on British social media. Chinese audiences and British audiences are highly different in individualism and indulgence. The findings note that British audiences are interested in traditional Chinese culture, experiences of living in China, and China travel guides. AI covers many technologies that can help influencers analyze followers’ preferences and integrate knowledge and information.

AI will continue to influence social media as the technology develops. The influencers can use AI tools in the process of developing in another culture in the future. The future is bright for AI.

Acknowledgement

Zizheng Zhou, Zhixuan Zhou and Sirui Zhong contributed equally to this work and should be considered co-first authors.