AI-generated influencers: A new wave of cultural exploitation?

Join us for a live recording of the podcast Don't Call Me Resilient from The Conversation Canada.

With Jul Jeonghyun Parke, PhD student in the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto, in conversation with journalist and host Vinita Srivastava.

Jul's research addresses the racial baggage of "virtual influencers," AI- or CGI- generated humanlike characters who exist on popular social media platforms as fashion models and influencers.

Recently, these “virtual humans” have wielded tremendous influence on social media, affecting the beliefs and purchases of their followers, often receiving more likes and comments than real influencers online. But their personas are not real.

Although many of these AI-generated virtual influencers appear to be young women of color, they are actually created by men at marketing agencies.

Given the absence of a governing framework for non-humans, the rise of virtual influencers on social media raises a host of urgent ethical questions about authenticity online, including race and gender identity.

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