In China, people are renting out their faces to AI

In China, a new market has emerged where individuals can rent out their faces to AI. Numerous online platforms are compensated, ranging from $15 to $700, for licensing people's likenesses to generate AI content. These platforms curate catalogs of images, sourced from user uploads or designated studios, which are accessible to producers for casting.

Users can specify the genres, such as thrillers, comedy, or romance, along with the intended settings for their faces, and set pricing based on various factors. Long Lyu, an operations lead at a rights platform called New Claw, stated that AI has already transformed the industry, with even ordinary people finding their faces featured in AI-generated productions without their consent.

Over 95% of the 128,000 microdramas released in China during the first quarter of this year utilized AI, making them a multi-billion-dollar industry. ByteDance, the owner of TikTok's Chinese version Douyin and Hongguo, a popular AI drama platform, faced backlash after two influencers accused the company of stealing and altering their faces using AI.

To manage licensing agreements and monitor unauthorized usage, platforms like ActID have been established. ActID's chief marketing officer, Camille Yan, explained that producers seek attractive faces, including elderly individuals, as they do not require acting skills for AI-generated dramas. Pricing ranges from 99 to 500 yuan ($15 to $74) per episode, with ActID taking a 10% commission.

While AI-generated dramas offer cheaper alternatives to traditional production methods, concerns persist about potential misuse and lack of control over one's likeness. Despite these issues, platforms like ActID and New Claw aim to establish legal and commercial frameworks for this burgeoning market.