I admit it; it's a challenging title to imagine, even if we break it down part by part. Let's try to better understand the incredible concept we're about to explore, what it might entail, and, most importantly, what insights we can draw from it.
We're not talking about a couple of random TikTok dances or similarly frivolous skits that catch the attention of a group of teenagers. Here, we're talking about genuine celebrities with millions of followers, who can generate hundreds of millions of dollars in sales in a single day.
Names like Xin Youzhi, Becky Li, Sanda Brother, Zola Zhang, and many others. These are real money-makers, both for the influencers promoting the products and the companies that engage them.
In Asia, this isn't as unusual as it might sound to the rest of the world. It's relatively common to come across social media accounts of individuals showcasing products via live streaming and attempting to sell them while responding to live comments and interacting with an apparently engaged audience.
The foundation lies in channels where "high-quality" items are sold, channels offering significant discounts, or those driven by the charisma of the hosts, perhaps complemented by entertaining skits, or a distinct sense of beauty and elegance. Ultimately, successful or not, many people are trying it, and a fair number succeed.
What platforms do they use? The answer is: as many as they can, starting with the more renowned ones like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and moving on to more localized e-commerce applications.
Deepfake technology is the process by which software, employing artificial intelligence algorithms, replaces someone's face in a video with someone else's. It's a concept that's been around for a while, although it has sometimes been used for less noble purposes.
Some individuals have employed it to create adult content featuring well-known figures, for political disinformation, or even for identity fraud. Others have used it for fun, making famous individuals like Elon Musk or Keanu Reeves do bizarre things.
Yes, we live in a peculiar world, but amid this digital chaos, certain Chinese companies have realized the potential for legitimate and significant earnings.
That's how Silicon Intelligence and Xiaoice came into being. These companies promise their clients the ability to clone the face, movements, voice, and gestures of anyone who pays them an annual fee, which, honestly, isn't too costly.
The title of this article appears much more digestible now: "Some Chinese Influencers Create Their Own Digital Clones Using Deepfake Technology to Conduct 24/7 Online Sales Without Having to Be Online Themselves."
But how is it even possible?
Well, we explained it roughly earlier, but delving into the technical details: these software solutions initially require a few minutes of video recorded by the real host to learn how to emulate them. Initially, 30 minutes of video were required, but apparently, just one minute will suffice now.
The cost varies, starting at approximately $1,000 to create a basic avatar, but when it comes to requests for higher quality, capabilities, or complexity, expenses can run into several thousand dollars.
All that's needed is to give the avatar textual commands, and it will move and speak on its own.
However, if there's a little extra budget to spend, artificial intelligence can further aid in this regard, avoiding the need for extensive scriptwriting and relying on Large Language Model services.
What are these models? They are vast databases that manage a series of algorithms capable of generating natural language based on a few initial settings. So, sellers will only need to provide basic information like the product's name, price, and its features to enjoy a script generated with just a few clicks. They can skim through it to correct any issues, and they're good to go.
With a bit more budget, these algorithms can read and understand live comments from the audience and facilitate real-time interaction with the digital clone. More advanced settings can adapt marketing strategies based on the number of viewers.
This is probably a news that, in practical terms and in today's world, might interest very few people.
First, because if we decided to purchase these services, we would be confronted with Chinese websites, complex payment processes, and interfaces that might not be very user-friendly to our eyes (not to mention, we're not entirely sure that the platforms or bureaucracy would allow this so easily).
But an important reflection should emerge: the world of commerce is increasingly moving towards the digital realm and becoming more interactive.
The concept of the Metaverse, so trendy a few years ago, is not so far from becoming a reality. TikTok, a platform initially designed for content understandable only to a younger audience, is gradually transforming into an e-commerce platform. Social media platforms have long dreamed of instant payments. Users dream of easy purchasing.
The world is moving in this direction, and we need to ask ourselves where we stand. If we still don't have a website, decent communication, a digital strategy, it's time to start worrying.
Entire sectors will be engulfed by artificial intelligence, and our only weapon is our own intelligence. We need to consider what makes us unique and which path is best to take.
Perhaps our goal should be to beat artificial intelligence with our personal touch, creativity, and details that would be impossible to replicate even in the hands of experts. Or, by using artificial intelligence as our ally.
Matteo is an experienced freelancer who serves as an outsourcing manager for multiple international projects. He has a passion for programming, content creatin, eating pizza, and developing innovative solutions. A native Italian, he resides in Bali and is a devoted family man and nature enthusiast. When he's not in front of the computer, you can likely find him trekking through the heart of a jungle or unwinding on a secred beach.
