Questions over honesty and legality as livestreamers, particularly in online shopping, use avatars to boost their earnings
In September, Chen Yiru, a Taiwanese influencer with nearly nine million fans on Weibo, livestreamedHis followers were suitably wowed – until some started to question if such a feat was humanly possible. The small print on the video stream confirmed their suspicions: “For display purposes only, not a real person.”Many of Chen’s fans were outraged, and he reportedly lost more than 7,000 followers between 24 and 26 September. Even the legal community weighed in.
Livestream shopping channels show influencers talking about, or trying out, products for hours on end. They can respond to viewer questions about the products and push discounts and sales for brands.Now AI startups are getting in on the trend by selling digital avatars to influencers and media companies. Silicon Intelligence, based in Nanjing, can generate a basic AI clone for as little as 8,000 yuan, although the price can increase for more complicated programming,MIT Technology Review.
“This trend may place more pressure on lower-tier livestreamers as they are more dispensable to brands,” says Yaling Jiang, an independent analyst and founder of Following the Yuan, a newsletter about Chinese consumers.
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