• Paul Archer, founder of advocacy platform Duel, says AI automation will dismantle traditional influencer manager roles.
  • He predicts a new “advocacy engineer” role managing networks of 100,000+ customer advocates using AI tooling.
  • Brands will shift from one-off influencer deals to scaled advocacy programs powered by automation and data.
  • Marketers must retrain talent and adopt advocacy platforms now or risk falling behind.

Why influencer managers may be facing extinction

Paul Archer, founder of the brand advocacy platform Duel, argues the traditional influencer manager role is being made obsolete by AI-driven automation. In Archer’s view, brands will move away from small-scale, manual influencer relationships toward large-scale, automated advocacy programs that activate customers as advocates at unprecedented scale.

The rise of the “advocacy engineer”

Archer coins the term “advocacy engineer” to describe the next-generation marketing specialist. Rather than individually negotiating and managing dozens of influencers, advocacy engineers will design, orchestrate and tune AI systems that recruit, incent and deploy networks of customer advocates—potentially numbering 100,000 or more—using automation and data-driven workflows.

What this means for brands

For brands, the shift implies a move from expensive, bespoke influencer deals to scalable programs that leverage real customers. AI tools will enable continuous personalization, automatic content prompts, performance tracking and rapid optimization—reducing the need for hands-on relationship management while increasing potential reach and authenticity.

Skills marketers will need

The new role emphasizes technical fluency: knowledge of AI and automation platforms, data analytics, community management at scale, and change management. According to Archer’s framing, teams that invest in these skill sets and in advocacy platforms will unlock far greater ROI from organic advocacy than traditional influencer contracts typically deliver.

Risks, limits and next steps

While Archer’s prediction highlights a powerful trend, there are risks and limits. Not all brand messages will scale equally, and some high-touch influencer partnerships may remain valuable for flagship campaigns or creative collaborations. There are also ethical and compliance considerations around disclosure and the authenticity of paid advocacy at scale.

Brands should start by auditing existing influencer programs, testing advocacy tooling with pilot projects, and investing in upskilling staff toward automation, analytics and community orchestration. That approach lets companies preserve what works from traditional influencer strategies while preparing for larger, AI-enabled advocacy networks.

Bottom line

Archer’s view is a clear warning: as AI automates routine management tasks and enables hyper-scale, the human role in advocacy will shift from relationship management to systems design. Marketers who ignore the change risk losing efficiency, scale and competitive edge; those who adapt can potentially manage advocacy networks of 100,000+ customers and dramatically amplify reach and trust.

Image Referance: https://ppc.land/why-an-advocacy-platform-ceo-says-the-influencer-manager-role-is-dying/