Perhaps more than any other social media platform, Instagram is responsible for the rise of a new generation of so-called “influencers” – individuals with large followings online that have the ability to affect their behaviors and opinions.
Until recently, the most successful Instagram influencers were incredibly attractive, talented, convincing and imaginative people, but going forward, that’s less likely to be the case.
Instead, we’re seeing the rise of a new generation of computer-generated influencers powered by artificial intelligence. For instance, the eternally 16-year-old Lil Miquela has been cultivating a growing audience on Instagram since 2016. She currently counts more than 2.4 million followers, and in 2018 was listed as one of the top 25 most influential internet personalities, even though she’s not actually a person.
Lil Miquela is entirely AI-powered, and she’s joined by a growing list of computer-generated personalities on Instagram. The likes of Shudu Gram, Imma, Lu do Magalu, K/DA, Ion Göttlich, Thalasya and Aitana Lopez all share one thing in common – they’re not real.
What’s really fascinating about these AI characters is the incredible pull they seem to have with real humans. It’s likely that most of their followers are aware they’re not actually people, but they still leave comments on their posts as if they were human.
Even more fascinating, perhaps, is that some might not realize these influencers are AI generated. And even more bizarre, it’s likely that a growing number of their followers are also not real humans.
AI Avatars
Now, inspired by these social media influencers, businesses and other organizations are looking at the possibilities of creating their own AI-powered virtual humans, either from scratch or by cloning existing humans.
Meta Platforms recently showcased the advantages of this technology when it created computer-generated versions of its founder Mark Zuckerberg and the computer scientist and podcaster Lex Fridman. Their photorealistic avatars met up in a virtual world known as the “metaverse”, where they were able to engage in a face-to-face conversation, despite being physically separated by hundreds of miles.
“This was one of the most incredible experiences of my life,” Fridman said in a post on X. “It really felt like we were talking in-person, but we were miles apart. It’s hard to put into words how awesome this was for someone like me who values the intimacy of in-person conversation.”
Meta’s goal was to demonstrate how AI-generated humans can enhance real-time communication. By replacing videos with 3D representations of people that mirror the way their mouth moves, their facial expressions and their body language, the interaction feels much more realistic.
However, this isn’t the only use case of AI-generated humans. In addition, it’s also possible to feed a virtual human or digital clone with a script, so they can make presentations, stage concerts and more.
A startup called Synthesia, which is funded by Nvidia and other big name investors, has built an application that gives users access to more than 230 computer-generated avatars, which they can create scripts for and use to create highly realistic avatars for social media videos. They can also use the app to create an AI clone of themselves, complete with natural-looking gestures, mouth movements, facial expressions and body language.
AI Clones
The possibilities of AI clones are especially exciting, and can be applied to many different settings. Imagine, for instance, a virtual classroom in the metaverse that anyone can join, where they’ll be taught by some of the brightest minds in all of human history. This is not just some kind of fantastic concept, for the ICB Verse already offers such possibilities.
ICB Verse is a metaverse world created by the blockchain startup ICB Labs, and it’s focused on education delivered through highly interactive virtual classrooms. It’s aiming to reduce the cost of education and make it more accessible to students globally, while also improving the standards of teaching. To access its virtual classrooms, students purchase an NFT that serves as a kind of digital subscription to its educational courses, which are taught by AI-generated humans.
If you’re going to study physics, for example, why not learn from the greatest physician who ever lived – the legendary Albert Einstein himself? In ICB Verse’s classrooms, students can interact directly with the man who came up with the Theory of Relativity, asking questions and listening to his explanations. In such a setting, his teachings will be aided by the immersive virtual environment, which can quickly conjure up a lab-like environment to highlight advanced concepts that are better understood with the aid of visuals.
The possibilities are endless. Imagine a class on the theory of evolution taught by Charles Darwin himself, or art classes with Picasso and chemistry instruction from Dmitri Mendeleev, who created the first periodic table. By interacting with their AI clones, students have a unique opportunity to tap into their vast knowledge.
Personal AI Clones
AI clones can also have major implications in business settings, increasing efficiency and productivity. A CEO, for example, can use technology to monitor all of his communications and interactions, and feed this data into a system that powers an AI clone of himself. Over time, this clone will become much more like the real CEO, able to participate on his behalf in video-based conference calls or metaverse-based interactions.
If our CEO needs to leave a message to one of his fellow executives, he can simply tell his AI assistant to “send Joanne a message and tell her I’ll be late”. Then, Joanne will see a digital version of her boss that looks exactly like the real version, and she’ll be able to inform him that she’s leaving to go home, and should reschedule their appointment. The AI version of her boss can then check his calendar and follow up instantly, saying “no problem, how about we meet first thing in the morning?”. The CEO doesn’t even need to perform this interaction himself – he’ll simply receive a notification informing him of the rearranged meeting.
Similarly, if Joanne places a call to her boss and he’s currently unavailable, it could be picked up by his AI clone, which would dig into the company’s systems to try and deal with whatever issue she has automatically. If it’s unable too, it will then send an alert to the boss.
Don’t be surprised if, five or ten years from now, this kind of technology becomes so realistic and so commonplace that you won’t even be able to tell very easily if you’re interacting with a real person or their AI-powered avatar. For it’s not just convenient, it enhances productivity too. A CEO can be in multiple places at once, with the real human version meeting a new client, while AI versions are simultaneously engaged in a meeting with the product team and also taking a call from the company’s Chief Financial Officer. It’ll mean busy professionals can get much more done.
Bottom Line
While some people may find the idea of AI-powered clones to be unsettling, it seems likely that they’re going to have to become accustomed to it. As the technology improves and becomes more realistic, accurate and reliable, the benefits it provides will be too powerful to ignore.
Like it or not, AI humans are going to become increasingly common, whether it’s on social media, in the workplace or in educational settings. That’s just the way it’s going. But don’t worry too much. If the idea is too unnerving for you to want to participate, you won’t have to. Instead, you can just create your very own AI clone to handle these interactions for you.
