I created an interactive digital avatar of myself — and you can talk to it
After obtaining an interactive avatar and training it to discuss venture fraud, I have mixed feelings about making AI clones of ourselves.
Alexandru Voica, head of corporate affairs at Synthesia, recently created an interactive digital avatar of himself for the AI-driven video-generation startup. Unlike typical AI-generated text pitches, this avatar is designed to answer press questions about Synthesia, representing the future of AI in PR. Synthesia, which recently reached a $4 billion valuation and $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), offers three types of products: a video-creation and distribution platform with classic avatars, an agentic platform called Sessions for interactive avatar engagement, and an API platform for combining Synthesia models with other technologies.
The company trained a personal avatar for Voica, who consented to the process, which included capturing numerous photos and a two-minute voice recording. Synthesia's avatar is powered by various models, including voice-to-text, language, text-to-voice, and a video model. When tested, the avatar answered questions related to Voica's venture fraud story, demonstrating its deterministic nature.
The experience raises questions about the future of journalism, potential corporate applications, and the ethical implications of AI avatars.
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