This innovative AI, inspired by Kendall Jenner leaves viewers astonished.
Our collective apprehension about artificial intelligence mirroring human beings might not be entirely unjustified. Meta recently sent shockwaves through the tech world by unveiling an AI chatbot named Billie, so eerily similar to Kendall Jenner that many initially mistook it for the model herself.
A video introducing this uncanny Kardashian lookalike has set the internet abuzz with both fascination and dread.
“Hey guys, it’s Billie,” warmly greets the digital Jenner clone in the video, shared on the AI’s Instagram page @yoursisbillie, where it has amassed over 118,000 followers.
Billie describes herself on Instagram as “like having an older sister you can talk to, but who can’t steal your clothes.”
In the video, the AI doppelganger of the “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” star addresses viewers: “I just want to introduce myself. I am here to chat whenever you want.”
Billie adds, “Message me for any advice,” perfectly capturing both Jenner’s appearance and her distinctive valley girl mannerisms and accent. “I am ready to talk, and I hope to talk to you soon.”
The astonishingly lifelike chatbot concludes by blowing a kiss to the camera.
Yet, viewers appear to be more disturbed than charmed by Billie. “This is honestly scary,” one commenter frets, while another writes, “I don’t like this, I don’t like where the world is heading, I’m not gonna support this.”
A disillusioned viewer expresses, “That is so creepy… I hope it’s actually Kendall just saying she’s Billie and not an AI-generated video because that’s freaky as hell.”
This hyper realistic Jenner-inspired AI is part of Meta’s recent initiative, which owns WhatsApp and Instagram. They are compensating celebrities handsomely to use their likenesses in creating AI assistants for connecting with their audience.
These AI assistants respond to queries and engage users in naturalistic, real-time conversations based on their celebrity’s personality.
Billie is just one member of this AI assistant line-up, which includes Paris Hilton as a “forensic specialist who solves crimes,” Tom Brady as Bru, the witty “sports debater,” Dwayne The Rock Johnson as a trainer, and Snoop Dogg as a red cape-wearing “Dungeon Master” who encourages users to “get medieval.”
These AI approximations are so hyper realistic that they make older AI models appear as crude as the celebrity statues at the infamous Krakow Wax Museum.
Mark Zuckerberg, while unveiling this campaign at the annual Connect conference in Menlo Park, Calif., stated, “Advances in AI allow us to create different AI personas to help us get different things done. This isn’t just going to be about answering queries. This is about entertainment and about helping you do things to connect with the people around you.”
Meta is reportedly paying celebrities generously for their likenesses, with each celebrity receiving upwards of $1 million for their services. One unnamed creator even received $5 million for just six hours of studio time, according to The Information.
Unfortunately, in the past, some celebrities have been artificially replicated without their consent to endorse products, fuelling concerns about cybernetic character impersonations.