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Company Stock Offered to Actors for AI Avatars
London-based artificial intelligence start-up Synthesia is offering company stock to the human actors it uses to generate digital “avatars” of people, in a radical move for the AI industry that rethinks how workers are compensated for helping to train the cutting-edge technology.
How It Works
The company, which hit a $2.1bn valuation this year, announced on Tuesday that it is creating a pool of company shares at present worth $1mn through which it will reward actors with equity in return for the use of their likeness and help in crafting new products and features.
Recognition of Actors’ Role
Synthesia chief executive Victor Riparbelli said the initiative was a recognition that the actors it hired to train its AI models were also the faces of the company.
"Everyone who works at Synthesia has shares in the company," Riparbelli said. "Ultimately, the actors are also employees to some extent."
How Actors are Compensated
Synthesia licenses actors’ likenesses to build its hyper-realistic AI avatars for three years. It pays them in cash for about a day’s worth of work. Actors can opt out of their appearance and voice being used in the avatars at any time. The new stock programme will be offered to actors with the most popular avatars.
Addressing Industry Concerns
The move addresses one of the key concerns of people in the creative industries, who have argued they are not being properly paid for the use of their work to train sophisticated AI models and products. Actors and musicians are often offered one-off fees by AI companies, but must then allow them to use that work in perpetuity.
Industry Reactions
The move comes as leading tech groups such as OpenAI have sought to make multimillion-dollar deals with media organisations and content publishers, while also being sued by other groups over claims they have already breached copyright laws in training their models.
Expert Insights
Synthesia’s move to offer shares "recognises the financial and reputational significance for actors licensing their synthetic likeness", said Henry Ajder, an expert on generative AI and deepfakes, who is not part of the initiative.
Potential Risks
However, even with better content moderation and safety features, no AI system was entirely immune from potential misuse, warned Ajder.
"Actors need to be aware of this when considering how their synthetic likeness might appear in the world outside of their immediate control and whether the potential risk, however small, is something they are willing to accept," he added.
Conclusion
Synthesia’s move marks a significant shift in the way AI companies compensate workers who help train their models, and could set a precedent for other companies in the industry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How will actors be compensated for their work with Synthesia?
A: Actors will be paid in cash for their work and will also be offered company stock.
Q: How long will actors’ likenesses be used to build AI avatars?
A: Actors’ likenesses will be used for three years to build AI avatars.
Q: Can actors opt out of their appearance and voice being used in the avatars?
A: Yes, actors can opt out at any time.
Q: Is this a new trend in the AI industry?
A: This move could set a precedent for other AI companies to offer similar compensation packages to actors.
