‘Synthetic twin’: Why Socceroo Cristian Volpato is the latest footballer to license his AI clone
Athletes’ scramble to control – and monetise – their digital identities at the cutting edge of AI rights deals Get our new political email , free app or daily news podcast The Socceroos star stares at the camera as he strides through an enormous atrium, the sound of his football boots on polished concrete echoing around him. Suddenly, he spawns four digital clones that peel off out of view to…
Australian footballer Cristian Volpato has become the latest athlete to license his digital likeness through artificial intelligence. A video demonstrating the technology features Volpato donning various outfits and settings, including a limestone-stacked backdrop representing the Twelve Apostles. The video, authorized by Volpato, showcases his "synthetic twin" – an AI-generated version of himself – appearing in different contexts.
The AI licensing company, Callandor, operates in California and secured the exclusive rights to Volpato's digital likeness, voice, biometric data, and performance statistics. Callandor's co-founder, Michael Fisk, explains that Volpato's AI clone can generate brand deals and content 24/7, assisting in avoiding missed opportunities for traditional endorsements.
Fisk envisions the AI twin offering personalized advice and real-time guidance to sports fans. The deal marks an early stage of a potential industry transformation for athletes' image rights and sports content. While some athletes and stakeholders in Australian sports are now embracing AI technology, it remains unclear whether brands will pay the same amount for AI-clones compared to the actual athletes.
Nonetheless, experts foresee significant commercial opportunities due to the ability of AI to create content in various languages and geographical contexts, with athletes' explicit permission being crucial for monetization.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Technology's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
