Chinese tech giant Tencent, as part of its cloud platform, launched a tool that allows generating digital doppelgängers of people. The The Register reports.
The system relies on Tencent Cloud TI — a machine-learning platform that offers more than ten AI algorithms.
To generate a high-definition avatar, a three-minute live video and 100 spoken sentences must be uploaded by the user. The synthesis process for the digital twin will take about 24 hours.
Users can generate avatars in full-body or waist-up views.
The bots support English and Chinese languages. According to the company, the digital clones avoid flat intonation and a uniform speech rhythm, typical of traditional acoustic models.
In total, Tencent offers five styles for digital people:
- 3D realistic;
- 3D semi-realistic;
- 3D cartoon;
- 2D real person;
- 2D cartoon.
Individual questions and answers can be created for the digital person, turning it into something of a deepfake chatbot.
The service costs $145. The creations can be used in advertising campaigns. In addition, the digital twins can act as doctors, lawyers and other professionals.
According to Chen Lei, the project’s general manager, the tech giant hopes to build an automated ‘AI+-powered digital-human factory’.
Earlier in February, researchers found that Chinese authorities had used AI-generated TV presenters to spread propaganda.
In January, Chinese regulators banned the creation of deepfakes without the subject’s consent or to harm national interests.