In November last year, we looked at an Artificial Intelligence(AI)-generated woman symbolically running to become FIFA's 10th president. That sparked curiosity about the potential emergence of more digital representations across various sectors, ranging from art to fashion and science.
As things move fast in the vast universe of AI, instead of speculating further about the appearance of additional AI-generated figures in diverse industries, we can already examine the impact of a new model in an entirely different context.
Ukraine has recently introduced an AI-generated spokesperson, Victoria Shi. Her name is based on the word "victory" (hinting at the country's main goal in the war against Russia) and the Ukrainian phrase for Artificial Intelligence (shtuchniy intelekt) and she will make official statements on behalf of Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Her statements will be written and verified by humans and Shi's persona is modeled after a real woman, Rosalie Nombre, a singer, influencer, and former contestant on Ukraine's version of The Bachelor (Nombre took part in this project free of charge).
In a promotional video, Shi stands in front of a Ukrainian flag dressed in a black turtleneck and blazer, a yellow and blue ministry logo pinned to her lapel and her hair pulled back. Moving naturally and gesturing with her hands, Shi clarifies her role, stating she'll be sharing operational and verified consular information with the public on the ministry's official website and social media channels. She'll also inform journalists on consuls' efforts to protect the rights and interests of Ukrainian citizens abroad and will broadcast information on emergency situations and other news.
Besides, Shi may have to deliver controversial news, like the suspension of consular services for men of fighting age living abroad (which means that they would have to return to their country for administrative procedures and potentially face the draft).
Ukraine is at the moment the first country to have enlisted an official digital spokesperson to deliver information. To avoid fakes, the statements will be accompanied by a QR code linking them to text versions on the ministry's website.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba highlighted the efficiency of this digital spokesperson in saving time and resources, something crucial during wartime when human diplomats may be too busy to release videos to make official announcements. The AI-generated spokesperson can indeed deliver messages at any time of the day, without having to be filmed in a proper studio or office.
Given Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine, having a digital entity capable of delivering messages promptly without the constraints of physical presence is therefore very convenient. Shi was created by a team called the Game Changers who also produced virtual reality content related to the conflict in Ukraine.
But there is another piece of AI-related news connected with Russia and to Putin in particular. The film "Putin", a biopic of the Russian President by Polish director Besaleel (Patryk Vega), will feature an AI-rendered Russian president and footage shot by Ukrainian film-makers during the Russian invasion. In this case the director and his crew developed their own technology to create the AI-generated Putin to avoid having to rely on a real human model.
From the initial experiments with digital twins to the emergence of AI-generated models, the trajectory of AI in shaping public representation is becoming intriguing. Will human officials eventually be supplanted by AI-generated characters? Will we witness AI-generated newsreaders or weather reporters in the near future? Or maybe intrepid fashion critics that may be able to tell the truth about fashion collections without being banned from fashion shows? Only time will reveal the next stage of AI-generated figures, a domain marked by rapid developments and new possibilities.
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