TikTok’s AI Avatars Spark Creator Concerns and Raise Questions about Advertising’s Future

TikTok introduces generative AI avatars for ads and branded content, sparking questions about creator control and the future of advertising on the platform.

Custom Avatars give creators control over their AI likeness: TikTok’s new Custom Avatars allow creators to scale their likeness into multilingual avatars for global brand collaborations, while maintaining control over usage rights and rates:

• Creators can choose to create AI avatars based on their own likeness to expand their reach and brand partnerships across multiple languages.
• The Custom Avatar system is designed to give creators control over how their AI likeness is used, including setting their own rates and approving which brands can utilize their avatar.
• This new feature could significantly expand opportunities for popular TikTok creators to monetize their personal brand and grow their global audience.

Stock Avatars introduce human element for brands: In addition to Custom Avatars, TikTok is rolling out Stock Avatars featuring paid actors that brands can use to add a human touch to their content:

• Stock Avatars are pre-built AI-generated characters based on a diverse range of real, licensed actors.
• These avatars aim to make it easy for brands to incorporate a relatable human element into their ads and branded content on TikTok.
• The actors featured in Stock Avatars are compensated for the commercial use of their likeness.

AI Dubbing expands content reach: Alongside the new avatar options, TikTok announced an AI Dubbing tool to help creators and brands translate content into multiple languages:

• AI Dubbing can translate videos into 10 languages, including English, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish.
• The tool automatically transcribes and translates video content to produce dubbed versions for global audiences.
• This feature could help creators and brands scale their content across different markets and demographics.

Implications for the creator economy: The introduction of AI avatars on TikTok raises questions about creator control, compensation, and authenticity in the age of generative AI:

• While Custom Avatars promise to give creators control, there are concerns about potential unauthorized use or replication of creator likenesses.
• The rise of AI-generated content could impact the perceived value and uniqueness of creator-made content.
• Creators will need to navigate new legal and ethical considerations around licensing their AI avatars for commercial purposes.

TikTok’s AI-powered ads ambitions: The new avatar and dubbing tools are part of TikTok’s broader push to enhance its advertising offerings with generative AI capabilities:

• The features are rolling out under “TikTok Symphony,” the platform’s suite of AI-powered ad tools launched in May.
• TikTok is investing heavily in its ads business, recently reporting that 61% of users have made a purchase after seeing an ad on the platform.
• However, TikTok’s AI advertising ambitions are complicated by regulatory challenges, including a potential US ban if ByteDance does not divest its ownership.

An evolving advertising landscape: As generative AI transforms content creation, platforms like TikTok are experimenting with new ad formats that blend the real and the artificial:

• AI avatars represent a new frontier in advertising, where virtual characters and influencers can be deployed at scale across languages and markets.
• Brands will need to balance the efficiency of AI-generated content with the importance of authentic storytelling and real human connections.
• The rise of AI in advertising raises broader questions about transparency, disclosure, and the blurring lines between real and synthetic media.

While TikTok’s new AI avatar tools open up exciting possibilities for creators and brands, they also highlight the complex challenges that platforms face in responsibly deploying generative AI. As the technology rapidly advances, TikTok and its peers will need to continually adapt their policies and safeguards to protect creator rights, maintain user trust, and foster an equitable creator economy. The future of advertising on TikTok will likely involve a delicate dance between the power of AI and the irreplaceable value of authentic human creativity.