Will Real Celebrities Expand Their Brand With AI-Based Clones Like This?

What you're watching above is a video from social media influencer Taryn Southern, except not quite: It's a "clone" of Ms. Southern, created via an AI platform called HourOne.

"We take a small sample of video footage (ideally captured in a studio, as we did with Taryn), and use our proprietary AI algorithms and generative adversarial networks, to generate an exact digital replica of that person," explains Natalie Monbiot, Head of Business at HourOne. "We can then program the digital twin by way of text or voice inputs, to generate new content delivered in an entirely lifelike way. Uniquely, we don’t do any stitching with our characters – they are fully generated, in the cloud, to deliver with flexible and natural facial expressions -- and since the videos don’t need to be ‘handled’ the potential to scale is enormous."

Monbiot estimates it's possible to save 95% of production costs on future videos, using clones this -- since after all, once Taryn's clone is created, a real life studio, camera crew, make-up, lighting, etc. are no longer required. To be sure, there's a certain dead-eye loss of humanity in the transition from biological Taryn to digital Taryn, as you may notice from the video. But Monbiot says HourOne's AI clones will become more lifelike and expressive in future iterations:

"Today we specialize in face-to-camera video with nuanced and natural facial expression and head motion," as she puts it. "You will certainly see bigger ranges of movement and emotion in the coming months."

From the point of view of well-known online personalities like Taryn Southern, not to mention major pop stars, film celebrities, and beyond, this opens up the possibility of their AI clones continuing to perform, endorse products, make press appearances, and beyond, even while their organic selves are sleeping, or on vacation.

"When it comes to 'cloning' known people, like Taryn, it is a way to build your brand," says Ms. Monbiot, "you can now create endless amounts of content personalized to your different audience groups, speak languages you can’t speak in real life... and freeze your youth!"

For now, the majority of HourOne's cast of clones are anonymous, ready-made character actors for endless uses -- but just like real actors, their human owners do get paid for their clone's appearance:

"Most of our 'synthetic' talent (100 and counting) are everyday people. We license their likeness to appear in a range of commercial video content. The benefit to them is that it’s a new and intriguing way to earn some cash and to appear in commercials. Their true selves are never identified, so it’s not really about their brand."

Monbiot says these AIs have already been featured in videos as virtual real estate agents, personal trainers, even human resource representatives. (Making it likely that one day soon, companies may hire AI-based HR to start laying off their human staff.)

I personally suspect we're maybe 5-10 years away from clones like Taryn's being able to adequately pass the Uncanny Valley test for real life celebrities, especially when people on that level already make frequent cameo appearances in our dreams. But I also expect even sooner to see clauses for actors' AI clones in Hollywood contracts.

Comments

[sirhc desantis]

Haha! 'Influencers' must be the second dumbest people on the planet (next to those who lap up this stuf). The instant one of these gets generated from scratch and aimed right their cash dries up. Well, there is the silver lining =^^=
Although I look forward to all the jollity when one of these synths gets culture hacked. Like thats never happened to an AI before.

[Amanda Dallin]

AI of dead Hollywood actors is next. Sorry if you're a living actor trying to get a break. All the starring roles will be going to the long dead and their estates.