TikTok's New Advertising Tools: Prepare for AI-Generated Influencers

TikTok is rolling out a tool that will allow brands to use AI-generated avatars of real people in ads on the platform.

The company plans to offer a set of “basic avatars” trained in the likeness of paid actors licensed for commercial purposes. It will also allow advertisers to create custom avatars designed to look like a TikTok creator or brand spokesperson, but with multilingual capabilities. The company said it was testing the feature with creators and would label ads created from the tool as AI-generated, it wrote in a June 17 blog post.

In a demonstration in the announcement post, the company presented a reel of AI-generated avatars, constructed from apparent TikTok creators, who explain why they will benefit from an AI tool that uses their likenesses . The feature, Symphony Avatars, “will help brands and creators scale faster, create more content and reach more people,” one said.

The video also boasted that avatars could create content quickly, produce a product explanation in minutes, and speak multiple languages.

Some creators are nervous about generative AI

Of course, not all creators are sold on the idea of AI-generated influencers. Earlier this year, when an ad featuring an AI-generated avatar from marketing agency SelfMade went viral, some creators raised the alarm about what generative AI could mean for their livelihoods and the future of the designer industry.

“If this is something that catches on, I would be very scared for the future of my business,” micro-influencer Kristen Bousquet told Business Insider in May.

AI tools have come under fire across the creative industry as Hollywood writers and actors, music artists, journalists and others question whether letting artificial intelligence platforms take over drag on their work could ultimately lead to their displacement.

In its blog post, TikTok appears to address some of the concerns about AI replacing creatives, at least on the brand’s side.

“TikTok Symphony is designed to enhance and amplify the human imagination, not replace it,” the company wrote. “By handling the heavy lifting, it gives you and your team the freedom to focus on the strategic and empathetic aspects of your TikTok marketing.”

For influencers, the company presents Symphony Avatars as an opportunity to save time and scale their brand deals by lending their likeness to global campaigns for brands in countries where they don’t speak the language.

The company also established an industry advisory board for its AI program, which includes content creators and representatives from brands like American Eagle, Wendy’s and the NBA. The board will serve as “an open forum to discuss the application and use of AI in creative marketing, as well as the industry at large,” the company wrote.

TikTok isn’t the only Big Tech platform experimenting with AI-generated avatars. Last year, Facebook owner Meta launched AI chatbots representing celebrities, including Tom Brady, Kendall Jenner and YouTuber MrBeast. The company also offers a suite of generative AI tools that allow advertisers to enlarge images, change their backgrounds, and test different text variations. Google, Microsoft, and Apple are all working to introduce more generative AI features into their products. Snapchat has its own AI chatbot for users, dubbed My AI, although the company recently downplayed the role of AI on its platform in its NewFronts pitch to brands.