Possibility of AI Cloning Humans in the Future Examined
There is always that one exceptional employee in every business who is indispensable and irreplaceable, often joked about being cloned.
Well, the joke may be upon us one day as the AI boom accelerates.
And digital copies – otherwise known as avatars – offer a business, financial, scientific and artistic opportunity, although they also raise many ethical questions.
Bloomberg TV anchor Tom Mackenzie cloned himself to see how advanced the technology really is. He then talks to his AI twin, called Tom’s avatar.
Created by London-based synthetic media platform Synthesia and using ChatGPT to generate responses, Mackenzie’s digital twin is animated by algorithms capable of simulating her appearance, behavior and voice.
Avatars could be the next big thing in artificial intelligence as a number of industries look to increase productivity, cut costs and streamline operations, including training, customer support, sales and communications.
Investors have taken note of the influx of venture capital money into the industry, which is expected to be worth $527 billion by the end of the decade.
Synthesia is one of the leaders, having raised $50 million and developing “human avatars” for more than 15,000 companies, including McDonald’s Corp. and Accenture Plc, as well as the U.K.’s National Health Service.
A Synthesia representative said avatars can improve organizational efficiency and are used to replace documents and PowerPoint presentations with more engaging videos.
London-based David Beckham has created a clone of the former soccer star who can speak nine languages for $1,000 per customized avatar.
Google-backed Runway and Deep Voodoo, famous for their special effects in Kendrick Lamar’s music video, are producing AI-powered human avatars.
It probably has a dark side, given the speed of technological development and the almost complete absence of ethical regulations or guidelines.
There is a risk of them becoming “deepfake” machines, and such platforms already have a troubling history of spouting propaganda or outright lies without accountability. Synthesia said it strengthened the company’s rules this year after one of its avatars was linked to spreading false information.
Of course, replacing human functions with an avatar is another concern. When Avatar Tom was asked about this, he simply said, “Human TV presenters offer unique qualities such as charisma, critical thinking and adaptability. So rest assured, I’m here to help, not replace you.”
So while McKenzie’s human work seems safe for now, it can’t be long before that changes.
