Ever watched a video online and wondered who – or what – is really behind it?
Perhaps it was an internet documentary, or an animated storytime video, but either way, you don’t know the true identities of these creators. They’re faceless and distant, and that’s often intentional.
Faceless creators, essentially anonymous figures, have existed for years. But with platforms like YouTube and TikTok, they’ve become more common. Thousands of creators now use crafted personas from simple aliases to fully-designed avatars to stand in for their real identities.
These anonymous creators appear in any genre — educational, gaming, art, and more. They make up a large portion of today’s content landscape. Their only real distinction from other creators is their choice to stay hidden.
An entire subgenre of content creators called Virtual YouTubers, or VTubers revolves around this idea. These creators use animated avatars, often in an anime-inspired art style, instead of showing their real faces on camera.
Some use personas to protect their privacy while others enjoy performing a role or exploring a creative identity.
The anonymity of faceless creators isn’t always harmless. Generative AI has made it easier than ever to churn out low-effort mass-produced content.
AI allows creators to pump out video content at lightning speed — often low-effort, inaccurate or completely unoriginal. For those only focused on profit, quantity matters more than quality.
These AI-driven creators are called content farms — predatory accounts that rely on mass production to manipulate algorithms. With their real identities hidden, they avoid accountability while profiting from views and engagement
It’s becoming harder to tell whether the content is genuine. As generative AI floods the market, viewers are often left wondering if what they’re watching was made by a real person or an algorithm designed to spread misinformation.
But spotting AI-driven content isn’t impossible. A little research can reveal a lot about who or what is behind an account.
Red flags include short, repetitive videos with AI voiceovers, overly polished visuals and frequent uploads, sometimes just hours apart.
Mindful consumption matters. Whether content comes from a faceless creator or not, knowing it’s made by a human helps ensure authenticity. Without that misinformation can spread quickly, influencing young audiences most of all.
Online, caution is key. No one wants to waste time on AI-generated junk that’s more about clicks than meaningful content.
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2025 print edition.
