Chinese influencers are outsourcing their jobs to AI, broadcasting cloned avatars instead of doing the work themselves, but the shortcut has angered some fans.
Despite the public outcry, AI avatars may look unlikely to cease just yet. The clones enable influencers to produce content 24/7 without expending any energy.
The real fake
Livestreams are a major industry in China. Well over a million influencers broadcast themselves regularly to an audience of upwards of 700 million who avidly consume their content.
Naturally, there are limits to just how much an influencer can physically stream themselves. As a result, streamers are extracting themselves from the process to maximize their profits.
In September, a Taiwanese influencer by the name of Chen Yiru streamed footage that appeared to show him eating chicken feet for 15 hours straight. Some followers expressed amazement at the feat, but others became suspicious.
The skeptics were right. At one stage, a glitch in the broadcast appeared to show a table leg piercing Chen’s arm. Further investigation revealed the small print on the video: “Authorized by Chen Yiru. For display purposes only, not a real person.”
Chen previously enjoyed fame in the 2000s as a member of the pop group “Fahrenheit,” but moved to e-commerce streaming in 2021. Ironically, the former pop idol built a reputation on dedication and hard work, recording sales in the millions of dollars.
For those reasons, the use of an AI avatar strikes at the heart of Chen’s brand.
The deception caused some 7,000 fans to unsubscribe from Chen’s channel within two days. But with 9 million followers, the loss is unlikely to be significant enough to perturb the star in future AI experiments.
A growing trend
Yuri Chen is not alone in seeking the easy route to AI-assisted profits. Chinese influencers in the e-commerce sector are increasingly turning to AI to grow their businesses.
For AI startups, the trend is something to capitalize on. Silicon Intelligence, an AI corporation based out of Nanjing, offers influencers an AI cloning service for 8,000 yuan—just over $1,000.
On Taobao, China’s most popular e-commerce platform, streams go right through the small hours of the morning. A closer examination of the content reveals occasional glitches or audio lip-synching issues—telltale signs of fakery. Most of the streams are AI clones.
In 2020, Silicon Intelligence required 30 minutes of training videos to create one of its AI doubles. In 2021, that requirement fell to just 10 minutes of footage. Today, the company only needs a minute of genuine content to create an AI doppelganger.
After the process is complete, the streamer continues to sell even while they sleep.
For the most successful streamers, AI clones offer further ways to boost profits and muscle out the competition. At least in the short term.
Deepfake technology
The rise of AI clones is concerning to anyone who values authenticity. Deepfake technology strikes at our understanding of reality by making us doubt our own eyes and ears.
Spotting digital trickery is increasingly important in the age of AI. Earlier this month, MetaNews spoke to Alex Kim, co-founder and CEO of AI-driven e-commerce accelerator Rice, to discover how to spot an AI fake.
According to Kim, several telltale signs give the game away. Kim says to watch out for “any mismatched facial expressions, unnatural movements, strange artifacts, voice mismatch, or lip-syncing that will likely be present on a deep-faked video.” Kim went on to say, “Pay specific attention to the eyes, as deepfakes struggle with these the most.”
For now, Chinese influencers continue to employ AI clones to boost their income and do the heavy lifting for them. But if influencers are happy to outsource their work to AI clones, what prevents a third party from replicating the same process and cutting out the influencers entirely?
In the race to cut out hard work and dine on AI earnings, influencers may unintentionally cut their throats.
- SEO Powered Content & PR Distribution. Get Amplified Today.
- PlatoData.Network Vertical Generative Ai. Empower Yourself. Access Here.
- PlatoAiStream. Web3 Intelligence. Knowledge Amplified. Access Here.
- PlatoESG. Carbon, CleanTech, Energy, Environment, Solar, Waste Management. Access Here.
- PlatoHealth. Biotech and Clinical Trials Intelligence. Access Here.
- Source: https://metanews.com/chinese-influencers-outsource-work-to-ai-clones/
