Today, there was an interesting story about a popular streamer who normally films his daily life, covering various events and pulling off all kinds of antics. He’s become so popular that he apparently felt safe enough to try something new. Instead of streaming himself, he started using AI-generated content that streams for him literally 24/7, even when he’s not there.
He used his own voice and likeness to train an AI program, which now generates what looks like real-time video of him. The stream runs continuously, and from what I’ve seen, it’s still pulling in a ton of views. So in that regard, it seems like a success so far.
The backlash, however, was pretty predictable. People weren’t happy that they were watching AI-generated content when they thought they were tuning in to see a real person. Afterward, the streamer explained that the AI is meant to provide extra content for fans when he’s unable to stream himself.
This whole situation got me thinking about the future. We might see more people registering themselves as a form of intellectual property, similar to what’s already happening in the entertainment industry. For example, I read that actor Bruce Willis licensed his likeness to companies so they could use it in commercials without him having to be present.
I can easily imagine this becoming common for regular people too. You could give a company permission to use your face or voice to generate streams or characters. It could become a profitable side hustle or even a full-time business.
Right now there’s a lot of controversy around companies using people’s images and voices to train AI without permission or compensation. But if you kept full control of your IP and licensed it yourself, that changes the game. You could rent out your likeness for something like three thousand dollars a month to be used as a character. That sounds like a legitimate business model.
It’s fascinating to see where this is headed. Have you ever considered registering yourself as intellectual property? Because it seems like more and more people are training AI systems with their voice and likeness.