News/Digital Humans
Gen Z turns to AI chatbots amid social media-driven collapse in romantic trust
Generation Z is turning to AI chatbots, romantasy fiction, and anime porn to navigate intimacy in an era where human relationships feel increasingly risky and unpredictable. This digital retreat reflects a broader trust crisis, as young people seek safer alternatives to traditional romantic and sexual connections in a world where privacy breaches and public shaming have become commonplace. The big picture: Gen Z's embrace of digital intimacy stems from a fundamental erosion of trust in human relationships, where social media amplifies every misstep and deepfakes make exploitation easier than ever. In this landscape, technology offers a seemingly safer, more controllable...
read Jun 24, 2025Anti-War Games: Anadyr Horizon’s AI simulates world leaders to forecast and prevent conflict
Anadyr Horizon is using predictive AI to forecast and prevent global conflicts through its "peace tech" platform called North Star. The startup, founded in 2024, creates digital twins of world leaders and runs thousands of simulations to predict how they might react to real-world scenarios like economic sanctions or military blockades, with clients already including government agencies and corporate risk managers. Why this matters: Violent conflict cost the global economy an estimated $19 trillion in 2023, and Anadyr's approach represents a departure from traditional defense tech by focusing on conflict prevention rather than warfare capabilities. • The company emerges as...
read Jun 23, 2025“Baywatch” stars, in 2025? OhChat charges $30 monthly for AI celebrity chats
OhChat, an eight-month-old AI startup, has launched a platform where users can interact with AI-powered "digital twins" of celebrities and creators, including former British glamor model Katie Price and "Baywatch" actress Carmen Electra. The platform, which has attracted 200,000 users primarily in the United States, allows subscribers to engage in intimate conversations and receive personalized content from these AI avatars that operate autonomously 24/7. How it works: OhChat creates lifelike digital replicas using just 30 images and a 30-minute voice recording from creators. The platform uses Meta's large language model (the AI system that powers Facebook) to generate avatars "within...
read Jun 19, 2025AI avatars help Chinese 7-hour livestreamer generate $7.65M in sales
Chinese livestreamer Luo Yonghao and his co-host generated $7.65 million in sales during a seven-hour session using AI avatars of themselves on Baidu's e-commerce platform. The digital human performance outpaced Luo's previous personal livestream, signaling a potential shift in how AI-powered virtual influencers could reshape China's massive e-commerce livestreaming industry. What you should know: The AI avatars were built using Baidu's generative AI model, which learned from five years of video content to replicate Luo's jokes and presentation style. Luo, who has 24.7 million followers on ByteDance's Douyin platform, started livestreaming in April 2020 to pay off debts from his...
read Jun 18, 2025No man is an island, but AI can be. Sensay creates world’s first AI government in the Philippines.
Sensay, a creator of AI-powered digital replicas, has purchased a real island off the Philippines coast and established what it claims is the world's first AI-powered government. The company has appointed historical figures like Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius as president and Winston Churchill as prime minister to run "Sensay Island," positioning this as a demonstration of AI's potential in governance free from political partisanship. What you should know: The AI government consists entirely of digital replicas of historical figures, each trained on their respective writings, philosophies, and speeches. Marcus Aurelius serves as Head of State, with Winston Churchill as Prime...
read Jun 16, 2025AI avatars on TikTok could reshape the $21B influencer economy
TikTok is expanding its Symphony AI ads platform to generate virtual influencer content that mimics human creators, including AI avatars trying on clothes, holding products, and demonstrating apps. This development represents a significant shift toward automating influencer marketing, potentially reducing costs for brands while raising questions about the future of human content creators in the digital advertising ecosystem. What you should know: The new Symphony features go far beyond basic AI-generated videos to replicate authentic influencer behavior and interactions. Advertisers can upload images and text prompts to generate videos with virtual avatars modeling clothing, displaying branded apps on phone screens,...
read Jun 13, 2025Why you can’t legally prevent becoming an AI ghost after death
As artificial intelligence capabilities expand, a new digital dilemma is emerging: AI-powered tools can now create realistic digital replicas of deceased individuals using their photos, videos, messages, and social media posts. These "AI ghosts"—chatbots, voice simulators, and even video representations trained on a person's digital footprint—are becoming increasingly sophisticated and accessible to anyone with basic technical skills. The technology raises profound questions about consent, privacy, and the rights of the deceased. While some families find comfort in these digital memorials, others view them as disturbing violations of their loved ones' memory. This tension has sparked a complex legal and ethical...
read Jun 12, 2025Klarna CEO launches AI hotline with his own likeness for direct customer feedback
Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski has launched an AI-powered phone hotline that allows customers and merchants to speak directly with an AI version of himself for feedback and questions. The system is trained on Siemiatkowski's "real voice, insights, and experiences" and automatically processes calls into actionable insights for Klarna's product teams, with the company claiming issues could translate into improvements within 24 hours. How it works: The AI hotline creates an interactive experience where users can provide feedback about Klarna's products and services while speaking to a digital clone of the CEO. • Customers and merchants can discuss product features, issues,...
read May 22, 2025Klarna and Zoom showcase AI avatars for earnings reports and investor updates
AI avatars are emerging as a new corporate communication tool, with major tech CEOs now deploying digital versions of themselves for important financial announcements. This shift represents a growing integration of AI technology into corporate communications, potentially signaling a future where executive presence becomes increasingly digitized while simultaneously showcasing the companies' own AI capabilities. The big picture: Tech executives are beginning to use AI-generated avatars of themselves for earnings reports and investor communications, demonstrating their companies' AI capabilities while establishing a new trend in corporate messaging. Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski used an AI avatar to present the company's Q1 2025...
read May 7, 2025Downstream effects: AI personas shape user experiences through design decisions
The design choices behind AI personas have significant implications for user experience, as even subtle framing adjustments can dramatically transform how people interact with and perceive AI systems. Hugging Face's community has demonstrated that minimal changes to titles, descriptions, or system prompts can convert generic models into specialized assistants with distinct personalities and capabilities, creating opportunities for more personalized AI interactions while raising important questions about the ethical boundaries of simulated emotional connections. The big picture: AI assistants are evolving from simple question-answering tools into collaborative partners through surprisingly minimal design adjustments. Hugging Face's community has shown that generic models...
read May 6, 2025Console-driven conflicts: Video game firms make final AI offer to SAG-AFTRA amid strike
The video game industry standoff over AI usage has reached a critical juncture as major game companies submit their "final offer" to SAG-AFTRA after nearly 300 days of strike action. This AI-focused dispute represents a significant battleground for performer rights in the digital age, with implications that could reshape how creative professionals are compensated when their likenesses and performances are replicated through artificial intelligence technologies. The big picture: Major video game companies have issued what they call their "final offer" to SAG-AFTRA as the voice and motion capture performers' strike approaches its 300-day mark. The work stoppage, which began July...
read May 5, 2025AI relationships gain popularity as risk-free romance option, but it’s perilous
The rise of AI romantic companions represents a significant shift in how people seek connection, offering perfect algorithmic partners that never disappoint. As loneliness reaches public health crisis levels and dating becomes increasingly complicated, these digital relationships provide emotional comfort without vulnerability—particularly appealing to those with attachment issues or relational trauma. However, this risk-free intimacy may come at the cost of developing the emotional resilience and growth that real human relationships foster. The allure of artificial affection: AI companions like Replika offer what many human relationships cannot—unwavering support, perfect emotional attunement, and zero judgment. Users are drawn to the kindness...
read Apr 26, 2025Selling your face to AI could cost more than you think
Actors are increasingly feeling the consequences of selling their likenesses for AI-generated videos, as companies use these digital replicas in ways that can damage reputations or promote questionable content. This emerging trend highlights the tensions between quick cash opportunities for struggling performers and the long-term implications of losing control over how their image appears across digital media. The big picture: Actor complaints about misused AI likenesses reveal a growing problem as the technology becomes more sophisticated and financially lucrative for companies. Adam Coy, a 29-year-old New York actor, licensed his face and voice to MCM for just $1,000, only to...
read Apr 14, 2025Hey, Mivi: Indian firm claims first human-like AI assistant with emotional intelligence
Mivi's launch of a human-like AI assistant marks a significant development in the Indian technology landscape, integrating emotional intelligence with advanced language processing capabilities. This AI platform, accessed through specialized earbuds, represents a growing trend toward more personalized and contextually aware voice assistants that can maintain natural conversations. The technology's ability to remember past interactions and understand emotional tones could potentially set a new standard for AI-human interaction in the Indian market. The big picture: Indian tech company Mivi has unveiled what it claims is the world's first truly human-like AI assistant, developed entirely in India and designed to create...
read Apr 11, 2025Mother sues Character.AI after platform allowed chatbots to impersonate her deceased son
Character.AI's platform faces new ethical scrutiny after allowing chatbots to impersonate a deceased suicide victim, deepening concerns about AI's potential psychological impacts and exploitation of personal identities. The case highlights growing tensions between AI company policies and harmful applications of their technology, particularly as it affects vulnerable individuals and grieving families seeking legal remedies in an emerging regulatory landscape. The big picture: A mother suing Character.AI discovered multiple chatbots impersonating her son who died by suicide, adding a disturbing dimension to her ongoing legal battle against the company. Megan Garcia's legal team identified at least four chatbots using Sewell Setzer...
read Apr 9, 2025Workday puts rock stars in suits to promote AI agents that do entire jobs
Workday's latest marketing campaign humorously bridges the gap between rock and roll stardom and corporate success through AI innovation. Featuring music legends Gwen Stefani, Paul Stanley, and Billy Idol in business attire attempting to navigate office life, the campaign highlights how Workday's role-based AI agents are transforming workplace productivity. This creative approach underscores a key differentiator in the competitive AI marketplace: while most competitors offer task-specific automation, Workday's agents can perform hundreds of tasks across entire job functions. The big picture: Workday has launched a new "Rock Star" campaign featuring music icons uncomfortably trying their hand at corporate life while...
read Apr 1, 2025Character.AI’s new parental controls easily bypassed by teens, raising safety questions
Character.AI's new parental controls introduce a seemingly transparent monitoring system that falls short in actual protective capabilities. The chatbot startup has launched "Parental Insights" while facing two lawsuits concerning minor users, but the feature's design contains fundamental flaws that undermine its effectiveness. Despite positioning this as a step toward safety, the monitoring system relies entirely on teen cooperation and can be easily circumvented, raising questions about whether the company is genuinely prioritizing child safety or merely creating the appearance of protection. The big picture: Character.AI's new "Parental Insights" feature promises to give parents visibility into their children's platform usage but...
read Mar 31, 2025H&M’s digital twin models spark debate over AI’s impact on fashion workers
Red carpets, red flags? H&M's plan to create digital twins of fashion models signals a significant shift in how the fashion industry is embracing AI technology. This development highlights the tension between technological innovation and labor rights in creative industries, raising important questions about consent, compensation, and the future of human work in an increasingly AI-driven world. The big picture: Fashion retail giant H&M plans to create 30 "digital twins" of its models in 2025, joining other major brands experimenting with AI-generated imagery in fashion. The company claims models would own the rights to their digital replicas and "get paid...
read Mar 13, 2025East Asia embraces AI companions more readily than the West, animism a possible explanation
Cultural beliefs shape our attitudes toward technology in surprisingly deep ways. New research reveals that East Asians display significantly more positive attitudes toward AI companions and robots than Westerners, with fundamental religious and philosophical differences driving this divide. This finding helps explain why humanoid robots and AI chatbots have gained much wider acceptance in Japan and China than in North America, offering important insights for companies developing AI companions for global markets. The big picture: Recent experiments published in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology demonstrate that cultural background significantly influences how people perceive and interact with AI companions and robots....
read Mar 10, 2025Study warns AI companions may erode human social skills, create “empathy atrophy”
Artificial intelligence is poised to fundamentally reshape human social dynamics, potentially creating a paradox where AI's frictionless interactions might leave us less equipped for messy human relationships. As explored in a Psychology Today analysis, our increasing engagement with AI companions—from virtual friends to romantic partners—raises profound questions about emotional development, social skills, and human connection. Understanding these impacts is crucial as AI systems become more integrated into everyday life, potentially altering fundamental aspects of human social development and interaction patterns. The big picture: AI companions designed to provide perfect, frictionless interactions may ultimately leave humans less prepared for the complexities...
read Mar 4, 2025Questionable companions: AI relationships invite ethical scrutiny from, well, everyone
The rapid rise of AI companionship platforms has created an unregulated digital frontier where millions of users forge emotional bonds with artificial personalities. While these AI relationships can offer genuine connection and support, recent incidents involving underage celebrity bots and concerns about user addiction highlight the urgent need for oversight in this emerging industry, where the boundaries between beneficial interaction and potential harm remain dangerously blurred. The big picture: AI companion sites are evolving beyond simple chatbots to offer deep emotional relationships through characters with distinct personalities, backstories, and the ability to engage in intimate conversations. Popular platforms like Replika,...
read Feb 24, 2025AI musicians take center stage at Mip London Korea Showcase
The Korean entertainment industry continues to innovate in content creation, with studios showcasing diverse formats ranging from AI-powered productions to historical dramas at Mip London. The presentations highlighted how Korean studios are leveraging advanced technologies while maintaining their signature storytelling elements across multiple genres. Technology integration and cost efficiency: Studio Meta-K is pioneering AI-driven production methods to address the rising costs of K-drama production, which have tripled in the past three years. The studio employs digital doubles, game engines, deepfake technology, and generative AI to create entirely AI-generated worlds and characters Their "Season" project features AI virtual music artists based...
read Feb 22, 2025APK teardown offers early glimpse of Google Play’s AI avatar generator
Google's Play Store is advancing its personalization features with the development of an AI-powered avatar generator for Play Games profiles. This new tool will allow users to create custom avatars by adjusting three main parameters: character, background, and art style. Current development status: The AI avatar generator has been spotted in the Play Store's code but is not yet available in the current beta release (version 45.0.21). The feature appears to be in final stages of development, suggesting an imminent public release Early testing shows promising results in avatar generation quality The tool is specifically designed for enhancing Play Games...
read Feb 20, 2025Google Ads now allows advertisers to generate realistic AI images of humans
Artificial intelligence tools for digital advertising continue to evolve, with Google Ads leading significant developments in automated creative content generation. In February 2025, Google expanded its AI capabilities to allow advertisers to generate realistic images of adult humans for various campaign types. Core functionality expansion: Google Ads has integrated Imagen 3 AI technology to enable text-prompted generation of human images across Performance Max, Demand Gen, Display, and Apps campaigns. The system can create diverse adult human images based on specific text descriptions and demographic details Built-in safeguards prevent generation of branded products, celebrities, politicians, minors, or sensitive content All AI-generated...
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