Google and Microsoft are paying some content creators between $400,000 and $600,000 each for multi-month campaigns promoting their AI tools, sources recently told CNBC. 

The outlet reports that these deals typically involve a series of posts or videos rather than a single piece of content. Campaigns run across platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn. They are concentrated in social media sites where professional or tech-savvy audiences are more likely to see the content. 

The payouts don’t stop at multi-month campaigns; many AI brands are also paying creators up to $100,000 per post for shorter campaigns. Creator Match, an agency that connects brands with influencers, told CNBC that it is seeing a sharp month-over-month increase in interest from AI companies. In addition to direct payment, some creators get perks like early access to tools, travel and event invitations.

“Some of these bigger companies have so much money to spend that they don’t care to negotiate [deals],” Creator Match CEO AJ Eckstein told CNBC.

Why Big Tech is spending so much on deals with content creators

According to The Tech Buzz, Big Tech companies like Google and Microsoft are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars per deal in order to make AI look culturally relevant or “cool.” These companies want to attract users to their AI platforms, and are prepared to pay influencers to post about chatbots and coding assistants.

Big Tech companies have saturated traditional ad channels. Generative AI platforms collectively spent more than $1 billion on U.S. digital ads in 2025 alone, according to Sensor Tower, up 126% from the previous year. 

This year, AI companies are continuing to spend big on ads. For example, Anthropic shelled out millions on 60-second pregame and 30-second in-game Super Bowl ads, which took a swipe at competitor OpenAI for its recent decision to start showing ads in ChatGPT. 

Why some creators are saying no

CNBC notes that influencer content is especially attractive for AI because creators can bring the tools to life in a way that abstract marketing cannot. A creator can show a concrete use case that makes the technology feel practical and less like hype. For example, they can use an AI coding assistant to debug a program or a text model to speed up research.

However, some creators are choosing to walk away from AI-sponsored deals because of the technology’s possible impact on the workforce. Jack Lepiarz, who has more than 7 million followers across platforms, told CNBC that he immediately turns down any AI-related brand deal. He previously rejected a $20,000 deal to promote AI image generation tools, and said he would’ve said no even if it offered more money. 

“I cannot in good conscience support something that’s going to make it harder for normal people to make a living,” Lepiarz told the outlet. 

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