Amnesty International adds Marilyn Monroe to the list of dead celebrities who have been digitally resurrected without their consent

There has been a lot of discussion in recent years about the practice of profiting from the digital likeness of celebrities without their consent, either after their death or during their lifetime. Zelda Williams, for example – the Lisa Frankenstein The director and daughter of Robin Williams criticized the “troubling” trend of people trying to recreate the voices and faces of the deceased last year, as striking actors fought for, among other things, better protections around studios’ potential use of artificial intelligence cloning. But despite the obvious ethical issues, companies continue to do this. Last? “Soul Machines Just Revealed”Digital Marilynan AI chatbot designed to look and talk just like Marilyn Monroe.

The company, which specializes in what it refers to as digital people powered by biological artificial intelligence, debuted its Marilyn robot at SXSW on Friday in partnership with Authentic Brands Group. ABG owns the rights to Monroe’s image and those of many other celebrities both living and dead, including Elvis Presley and Shaq. Powered by GPT 3.5, Digital Marilyn is “hyper-realistic” and able to respond with “emotions and micro-expressions,” Soul Machines says in a press release. She can hold a conversation for about 20 minutes.

“More than an impressive impersonation, Digital Marilyn is an independent digital persona capable of engaging in natural, dynamic conversations that feel authentic and responsive,” Soul Machines wrote in an article. Blog post. “It is as if the spark of Marilyn herself has been translated into the age of artificial intelligence, providing a unique and deeply personal connection to both loyal fans and curious newcomers.” Anyone else crawl on skin?

Soul Machines touts its digital celebrities (there are others, including the upcoming Carmelo Anthony bot) as a way for famous people to “interact face-to-face with their fans, without limits” and “provide 24/7 connectivity.” Notably, all of the other AI celebrities the company is currently offering talks with — Mark Tuan, Francis Ngannou, and Jack Nicklaus — are living men and thus able to have a say in their inclusion. Soul Machines introduced Marilyn Monroe’s artificial intelligence system to the public through Instagram A post for International Women’s Day, because nothing says “celebrate women” like exploiting the image of a celebrity who is no longer around to give permission.