Ethic of AI Avatar

AI avatars, also known as digital humans, are virtual beings designed to interact with people. They use advanced technologies like 3D modeling, AI, and machine learning to create realistic interactions. AI avatars have applications in various industries, such as customer service and training programs. However, there are ethical concerns with AI avatars. They can spread misinformation and biases, and their lifelike attributes can cause psychological harm. It is important to address these issues through responsible design practices and regulations. Companies like Unique have established guidelines for digital human design. By navigating these challenges responsibly, we can harness the benefits of AI avatars while mitigating ethical concerns. Hello everyone and welcome to the Epic of AI podcast. Today we are going to talk about the concept of AI avatar. Have you ever encountered a virtual being that looked almost too real, leaving you with indisposed feelings? Or a video where the people look exactly like a real human, but with simple movement? They are all avatar. So what are these AI avatars? They are also known as digital humans, or human-like virtual AI characters designed to interact with people. An AI avatar involves a sophisticated blend of advanced technologies and expertise, including 3D modelings, animations, AI, and machine learning. These elements harmoniously combine to create a seamless and realistic interaction with AI avatars. By leveraging these integrated technologies, users can enjoy inverse experience in 3D and virtual reality without any hesitation. However, although the technology driving these lifelike figures may seem complicated, with the help of AI avatar generator, creating a personalized avatar is not as challenging as it might appear. For instance, Synthesia, a popular generator, offers over 160 AI avatars with various ages, genders, and appearances, looking with no difference with real-life human beings. Users can combine these avatars with selected voice and video templates from the tools resources to create a complicated avatar. In fact, the avatar has already found applications in diverse industries. Due to their advantages, such as high level of customizations and low cost, they are now commonly utilized as customer service representatives, instructors for training programs, tour guides, video presenters, and more. For instance, Vodafone has now employed digital humans for customer service, which offer their customers in automated ways to self-serve and allow the real staff to focus on more complex tasks. According to the data, this action has increased customer engagement by 300%, and 9 out of 10 customers claim that a digital human channel is easy to use. However, on the other hand, with the development of AI avatars, numerous ethical issues have also emerged, while Asimov's rules prevent artificial intelligence from physically hurting humans. It doesn't help real people from designing AI to mislead, to spread fake news, and to cause other types of harm and distress. Now, let's talk about the first issue, as AI avatars have the ability to impersonate real humans. They can easily cause spread of misinformation and bias. This issue can be further broke down into two perspectives, intentional and inadvertent conditions. When an individual intentionally aims to disseminate misinformation, it can be carried out with minimal cost and risks, especially when compared to the heightened potential of stimulation of bias relative to other media formats. Most prevalent instances include utilizing AI avatars to craft characters that reinforce racial and gender stereotypes. Additionally, malicious individuals may employ this technique to generate characters pretending to be politically sensitive figures, fostering different sentences and conflict within the societies, or claiming tendentious arguments. For instance, in an article from Adam and Paul against misinformation caused using AI, they have shown how digital human new answer can be used in a video to outline what he saw as the United States' shameful lack of actions against gun violence. Apart from intentional actions, AI avatars are trained on a large data set, which means it may introduce biases present in the data. If the training data is not diverse or representative, AI avatars may still reinforce existing bias. This means that it should be ensured AI avatars are developed and trained using unbiased and inclusive data to mitigate the risk of discrimination. Now, let's talk about the second question, how and why AI avatars can cause direct mental harm. Due to their humanoid characteristics, AI avatars are more psychologically capable of causing harm to humans compared to all other virtual representations. This is because the ability of avatars to mimic humans' appearance and behaviors creates an illusion of interaction with a real person. This illusion can lead to emotional attachment, trust, and even dependency. Consequently, when these avatars engage in harmful or manipulative behaviors, they have a profound impact on the mental well-being of individuals. The risk intensifies when an avatar closely resembles a person that exists in real life, as the lifelike attributes may elicit emotional response from those familiar with the actual individual. Additionally, the potential for emotional harm extends beyond the intentional actions of AI avatars. The increasing prevalence of deepfake technologies and the authorizations of AI avatars to recreate representations of decreased loved ones have ignited considerable debate. The ethical implications of manipulating the likeness and behaviors of departed individuals amplify concerns about the psychological impact on those who may already interact with the simulations. Now, we are going to interview Bob, a college student who has tried to delve into the realm of AI avatars for his YouTube channel. Welcome, Bob. Can you start by sharing in your opinions your overall perspectives on the ethical issues surrounding AI avatars? Thanks for having me. In my opinion, the concept of AI avatars is fascinating, presenting various potential opportunities, but it is crucial to carefully navigate the ethical considerations that accompany their use. Moving on to the social impact, how do you think the use of AI avatars can influence society? Well, on one hand, they can enhance creativity and provide a unique tool for content creation. On the other hand, there is a flip side. The misuse of AI avatars can contribute to the spread of misinformation and manipulation. Misinformation is a critical issue indeed. How do you think AI avatars may contribute to the misinformation, and what potential dangers, in your opinion, does it pose? In my opinion, AI avatars can be programmed to spread false information convincingly, which makes it difficult for users to tell what is right and what is wrong. This might pose a significant risk, especially in a world where trust in online information is already a concern. That's a valid point. Now let's talk about bias. AI systems can unintentionally cause bias. How do you think this plays out with AI avatars in your opinion? Bias is a significant concern. If the data used to train these avatars is biased, it can result in the avatars unintentionally reinforcing stereotypes. Addressing these issues, in my opinion, is crucial to prevent bias problems. Absolutely. Another aspect to consider is the potential mental harm AI avatars could cause. Can you share in your opinions your thoughts on the mental health implications? The realistic nature of AI avatars can create a blurred line between reality and fiction, possibly causing emotional distress or confusion for viewers. I think it is important to be mindful of the potential impact on mental health, especially in vulnerable individuals. Lastly, what in your opinions do you think are possible solutions to address these ethical concerns in the future? For these concerns, in my opinion, we need a combination of responsible AI development practices, transparent disclosure about the use of AI avatars, and ongoing research into the social and psychological impact. Educating content creators and users about ethical considerations is important for responsible use. I agree. Thank you for sharing your insight with us, Bob. Just like Bob's mentioned, practices and laws of using AI avatars should be made. Actually, there are the companies making the effort towards this goal. For instance, a digital human company called Unique has listed their own five laws of digital human design. First, digital humans should never pretend to be what they are not. Second, digital humans should always be designed to help, not harm. Third, digital humans must respect the privacy of those they interact with. Fourth, digital humans should be designed to uphold respectful behaviors. Lastly, co-design of digital humans should be adopted to avoid bias and promote diversity and inclusive representations. Well, in conclusion, the evolutions of AI avatars bring both exciting possibilities and ethical challenges. As we navigate this dynamic landscape, it is crucial to acknowledge potential risks such as misinformation and psychological harm. By adopting responsible design principles like unique laws and implementation regulations, we can try our best to harness the benefits of AI avatars while mitigating ethical concerns. This podcast aims to spark ongoing conversations about the ethical implications of AI technologies, encouraging listeners to stay informed and engaged in sharpening a responsible and inclusive digital futures. Thank you for joining us on this exploration of the ethics of AI.