The AI craze has spread to all social media platforms, including TikTok. This company is rolling out AI-generated avatars for content creators. These new features are based on the Symphony generative AI ad suite that TikTok recently revealed.
With Symphony Digital Avatars, TikTok users and businesses can make personalised avatars. These avatars will come with Symphony AI language dubbing for translating content globally.
“At TikTok, we aim to empower creators and propel their creativity to a global audience with the power of generative AI,” said Andy Yang, head of creative products at TikTok.
“Symphony Digital Avatars unlock a new avenue for creators to scale their opportunities with brands globally. We aim to fuel the creator economy by investing in creative solutions that spark joy, imagination and action.”
Two different kinds of Digital Avatars will be available for content creators. The first type, Stock Avatars, are pre-made avatars created using paid actors who have been licensed for commercial use. They come from various backgrounds and nationalities and are available in over 30 languages. The other type is custom avatars, which allows creators to utilise their own appearance to create a multilingual avatar branded with their own intellectual property.
This presents an interesting accessibility aspect, as it enables international TikTok content to reach a more global audience. English-speaking TikTok users might be able to tap into the market in China, and vice versa. This could potentially make a significant contribution to diversity on the platform.
On the flip side, there’s the potential for malicious actors to exploit Digital Avatars for unethical purposes. The issue of AI-generated revenge porn has already emerged as a significant problem, which means that TikTok will need to implement robust content moderation policies and oversight to mitigate this—an area where it currently doesn’t have the best track record.
Lastly, there’s the concern of introducing another layer between creators and their audiences. This could lead to a diminished personal connection between creators and their audience as AI takes over much of the “physical” work involved in content creation.
In any case, it’s unlikely that the trend of AI implementation will stop any time soon, and for better or for worse, TikTok will soon feature an abundance of AI-generated digital avatars. It’s also probable that similar features will be introduced to alternatives such as Snapchat, Instagram Reels, and others.