<
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/04/regrets-actors-who-sold-ai-avatars-stuck-in-black-mirror-esque-dystopia/>
'In a
Black Mirror-esque turn, some cash-strapped actors who didn't fully
understand the consequences are regretting selling their likenesses to be used
in AI videos that they consider embarrassing, damaging, or harmful,
AFP
reported.
Among them is a 29-year-old New York-based actor, Adam Coy, who licensed rights
to his face and voice to a company called MCM for one year for $1,000 without
thinking, "am I crossing a line by doing this?" His partner's mother later
found videos where he appeared as a doomsayer predicting disasters, he told the
AFP.
South Korean actor Simon Lee's AI likeness was similarly used to spook naïve
Internet users but in a potentially more harmful way. He told the
AFP that he
was "stunned" to find his AI avatar promoting "questionable health cures on
TikTok and Instagram," feeling ashamed to have his face linked to obvious
scams.
As AI avatar technology improves, the temptation to license likenesses will
likely grow. One of the most successful companies that's recruiting AI avatars,
UK-based Synthesia, doubled its valuation to $2.1 billion in January,
CNBC
reported. And just last week, Synthesia struck a $2 billion deal with
Shutterstock that will make its AI avatars more human-like,
The Guardian
reported.
To ensure that actors are incentivized to license their likenesses, Synthesia
also recently launched an equity fund. According to the company, actors behind
the most popular AI avatars or featured in Synthesia marketing campaigns will
be granted options in "a pool of our company shares" worth $1 million.
"These actors will be part of the program for up to four years, during which
their equity awards will vest monthly," Synthesia said.
For actors, selling their AI likeness seems quick and painless—and perhaps
increasingly more lucrative. All they have to do is show up and make a bunch of
different facial expressions in front of a green screen, then collect their
checks. But Alyssa Malchiodi, a lawyer who has advocated on behalf of actors,
told the
AFP that "the clients I've worked with didn't fully understand what
they were agreeing to at the time," blindly signing contracts with "clauses
considered abusive," even sometimes granting "worldwide, unlimited, irrevocable
exploitation, with no right of withdrawal."
"One major red flag is the use of broad, perpetual and irrevocable language
that gives the company full ownership or unrestricted rights to use a creator's
voice, image, and likeness across any medium," Malchiodi said.
Even a company publicly committed to ethically developing AI avatars and
preventing their use in harmful content like Synthesia can't guarantee that its
content moderation will catch everything. A British actor, Connor Yeates, told
the
AFP that his video was "used to promote Ibrahim Traore, the president of
Burkina Faso who took power in a coup in 2022" in violation of Synthesia's
terms.'
Via Christoph S.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
