IN FOCUS
In today’s newsletter, we look at:
- From Reebonz to AI avatars: SG startup eyes $100b opportunity
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The problems that deepfake technology are causing in business and porn
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Hello there,
When it comes to livestreaming deepfakes, my preferred pop culture reference point is Max Headroom.
Max was my introduction to consumer-focused AI, an almost unheard of concept back in the ‘80s. The general view of AI bots then was much darker. They were seen as unemotional killing machines, making the depiction of Max – a smart-ass digital pitchman – very unusual.
Certainly no one back then understood just how futuristically accurate Max was. Now 35 years later, there is an entire ecosystem developing around the use of genAI to develop realistic digital salesmen who will do nothing but sell, sell, sell 24/7. How that ecosystem is developing here in Southeast Asia is the focus of this week’s Big Story by Samreen.
The story focuses on LiveCommerce Entertainment (LCE), which acquired ecommerce firm Reebonz’s brand and digital assets the year after the latter was liquidated in 2021. LCE will now mesh live selling with genAI-created digital salespeople.
It estimates that the convergence of live selling and AI could be a US$100 billion opportunity for Asia.
The modern AI pitchmen aren’t perfect, but they are starting to force retailers to ask an important question: which will sell more products? Will it be a scalable, scripted, and emotionless AI or a human who can establish an authentic emotional connection, albeit at a higher price?
That’s a tough question to answer, but it’s still a lot easier than some of the other questions that are beginning to surface around genAI, such as how companies are supposed to handle the rising number of cyber attacks that use deepfake technology. The problems generated by deepfakes are also finding their way into politics, with the likes of Elon Musk pushing back on attempts to regulate the tech.
It’s a very contentious issue, but a solution may come from an unexpected source: a South Korean initiative to combat digital sex crimes. But first, more on the AI salespeople.
— Scott
THE BIG STORY
From Reebonz to AI avatars: SG startup eyes $100b opportunity
THE HOT TAKE
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