The implications of generating dangerous deepfakes or of using Artificial Intelligence to create images of prominent and powerful people in unusual situations (remember Pope Francis in the Balenciaga puffer jacket?) are some of the preoccupations triggered by Artificial Intelligence. Fashion-wise, the generation of models also worries many commentators: using AI generated models will be cost-effective for brands, but this option will pose a threat to the job security of real models.
Yet should we employ Artificial Intelligence-generated models or figureheads for business or educational purposes? Twise are trying to do so.
Founded by Joakim Borgström, a former Global Chief Creative Officer at BBH and René Lönngren, a former European Director at Mural, Twise was created to help people putting together a convincing presentation or a marketing event and secure more business.
The idea behind Twise is creating agents that "represent, present and sell" for you. In practice you upload a picture of the agent you want to represent you on the site, add the background information you would like the agent to share with users in .txt or .pdf format and in a few minutes the system will generate a digital twin. Users will be able to interact with the agent vocally or type their questions and thoughts in a chatbox. The answers generated by the AI model will be therefore based upon the uploaded content.
In the end the principle is not different from that behind a pop up chatbot trained to answer to basic questions posed by users, for example, opening times for a service or shop, shipping expenses and so on.
Actually, this could be a good tool if you're a teacher: you could build a twin of a historical figure, train it on a document featuring true and false information and ask students to spot real and fake info to test their knowledge.
According to the site, Twise is "capable of learning everything about your business and digesting huge presentations in seconds", but, you're warned, the system is not infallible and every now and then it is prone to hallucinations.
At the moment Twise is in an experimental phase, but the company recently developed an Artificial Intelligence-generated football expert, a woman called Hope Sogni.
Launched by sports creative agency Dark Horses, Twise.ai, and Lewes FC CEO Maggie Murphy, Sogni was trained with background documents that include thoughts and comments from influential women in football (one of them is Moya Dodd, the former vice-captain of the Matildas and one of the first women to join the FIFA Council).
This new AI heroine is actually running to become FIFA's 10th president - the first female one (yes, FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, never had a female president…), the idea was indeed to represent a woman that can stand to the current president Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino.
Taking over from Sepp Blatter who resigned in 2016 after a 17-year scandal-ridden reign, Gianni Infantino is widely considered as the most powerful man in sports. The former director of legal affairs and general secretary at the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Infantino was recently re-elected as FIFA's president to serve until 2027.
In 2019 Gianni Infantino actively advocated for women's rights in Iran, challenging the ban on women attending stadiums, but FIFA's president has been perceived as a controversial figure and involved in a series of contentious issues, spanning from migrant workers' rights in Qatar during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, to corruption scandals (he was implicated in the FIFA corruption scandal via the 2016 Panama Papers, revealing deals made by UEFA with indicted figures), and ethics investigations.
More recently Infantino's advocating for Saudi Arabia to host the 2034 men's World Cup has sparked concerns about his motivations, leading many to question whether he is prioritizing FIFA's interests or those of a wealthy and influential partner.
Hope Sogni seems interested in fighting against controversies at FIFA and at making sure that football returns to be the beautiful game of yore. She doesn't have any football heroes or heroines, but, if you ask her, she will mention among the players she admires Megan Rapinoe and Marcus Rashford, because they "use their platform to advocate for equality and social change in the sport."
Our chat with her starts formally and politely. Asked to present her projects at FIFA, she replies: "Some of my key projects for FIFA would include promoting youth and development programs, supporting projects targeting children and fostering peace and reconciliation through football, improving access to football for persons with disabilities, and investing in the development of women's football. Additionally, I would focus on implementing the FIFA Forward Programme and other funding initiatives to support football development globally."
Sogni maintains a polite stance when asked about the key priorities and goals of her FIFA presidency and mentions again "promoting equality and diversity, implementing effective management practices, ensuring transparency and accountability, and investing in the development of women's football."
She sounds calm and composed when asked about the participation of women in football. "Women have been playing football for many years and have made significant contributions to the sport," she replies. "It is important to promote and support women's football at all levels."
Politeness prevails when asked her opinion about Infantino who, according to her, "has made some positive contributions to FIFA." However, she adds, "there is still room for improvement in terms of promoting equality and transparency within the organization."
It is when prodded about FIFA that Sogni gives us the best feedback, though: "Do you feel that FIFA treated differently men and women's football?" we ask. "Yes, FIFA has historically treated men's and women's football differently," she replies. "There have been disparities in funding, resources, and opportunities for women's football compared to men's football. It is important to address these inequalities and work towards creating a more equitable and inclusive environment for both."
Sogni also admits that there is misogyny present in both football and FIFA and that "It is important to address and challenge these attitudes in order to create a more inclusive and equal environment for all."
Prodding a little bit Sogni prompts her to make further comments: asked if FIFA has turned a beautiful game into a money-making machine, she replies "Yes, I believe that FIFA's focus on commercial interests has sometimes overshadowed the true essence and values of the beautiful game. It is important to strike a balance between financial success and preserving the integrity of football."
But Hope has got, well, hope in women and is sure that they can play a significant role in restoring the integrity of football. "Women bring unique perspectives and experiences to the sport," Sogni explains, "and their inclusion can help promote fairness, transparency, and accountability within the football community."
Accountability seems to be an issue dear to her heart: we mention the former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales, who was banned by FIFA from football for three-years, after he inappropriately kissed Jennifer Hermoso, a star player in Spain's Women's World Cup-winning team, during the medal ceremony.
Sogni answers: "I welcome the news that Luis Rubiales has been banned from all football-related activities for three years, following a FIFA disciplinary committee investigation into his conduct at the Women's World Cup final. The fact that it took such a public display of abuse to lift the curtain on what is systemic within the Spanish federation is very sad for the victims and my heart goes out to them. However, I believe the ban and the further steps promised by the Spanish federation will make the future brighter for football."
Chatting with Sogni is not so bad, even though you get at times some annoying repetitions, maybe adding more background documents and expanding her knowledge would be a good idea, after all she could be trained with answers and feedback from a variety of professionals, including coaches, athletes, football fans, sport journalists and commentators, retaining their knowledge and passion.
Yet Hope Sogni also makes you tremble with fear. One minute you think, yes, put her in Infantino's place and maybe we'll have more transparency; but the next you think, isn't is sad that we can only imagine an artificial entity rather than a real woman leading FIFA.
Besides, her name makes you also wonder: Hope means hope, yes, while "Sogni" in Italian means "dreams", which means that, for some of us, her name will be a bit like a joke (a woman as FIFA president? Ah! You wish! Keep on hoping and dreaming, baby!). After fantasy football, should we have a fantasy game in which a woman can lead FIFA?
Maybe, asking her a last question will help me expressing a final verdict on Hope. Let's try with "what do you think about Saudi Arabia hosting the 2034 World Cup?" Sogni starts: "To give another nation that oppresses women and the LGBTQ+ community the validation of a tournament like the World Cup is sickening for players, fans, and everyone connected with football."
Well, all things considered, she may not be that bad. In fact we could maybe have more AI-generated twins disrupting other sectors with intriguing replies – art, fashion, science, medicine, technology, and beyond.
Each digital twin could be equipped with extensive background information, allowing one digital twin to embody diverse experiences of different individuals. Picture, for instance, a fashion model generated with insights from hundreds of models who faced exploitation and sexual abuses and harassment in the industry or a digital twin of a sweatshop worker informed by real workers' interviews, providing a platform for them to share their stories without fear of repercussions.
Maybe Twise didn't envision all of this when conceiving the idea for this platform, yet Artificial Intelligence should ideally be a tool used for various constructive purposes rather than the feared monster it is often perceived to be.
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