The Rise of AI Video Avatars and Are Human Influencers Replaceable

Reports indicate that videos are among the most popular types of content, especially short-form videos in this era of AI-first marketing. Platforms such as TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels have redefined how people consume content. According to Google, YouTube shorts garner at least 50 billion views daily. On the other hand, TikTok users spend an average of 95 minutes a day in the app.

This is a clear indication that the demand for video content is high. To meet this demand, creators are leveraging various tools, such as AI video avatars. In this article, we explore the rise of these video formats and examine whether they will replace human creators in the future.

What Are AI Video Avatars?

An AI avatar uses artificial intelligence technology to create a digital representation of a human being. The avatar has the human creator's look, appearance, and speech, making it suitable for creating videos with a life-like appearance. These differ from live versions and traditional animation because they can be generated quickly using Avatar Creators.

The avatar creators are usually of two types. These are:

• Realistic avatars. These look like human beings and have complete facial movements and expressions. They are excellent for creating professional content, such as e-learning modules, marketing campaigns, or corporate training videos.
• Animated avatars often have a more playful and stylized look, making them suitable for less formal content, such as explainer videos, social media campaigns, or educational materials for children.

You can synchronize the lip movements of animated and realistic-style avatars with the audio, making the avatar appear to be talking. This is possible using an AI model trained on human motion and speech datasets.

Benefits of AI Avatars For Video Creation

One of the key reasons AI avatars are popular is that they can solve key challenges, including:

• Time saving. AI avatars can help you create high-quality videos quickly and easily, whether for personal or business use.
• Cost-cutting. You can reduce the cost of creating videos by using AI avatars. This is because you don’t need to pay for the price of studios, actors, and post-production work.
• Easy to scale. If you want to create a large number of videos, AI avatar videos can help. They can be easily scaled, removing the need for re-recording and reshooting videos.
• Localization options. AI avatars make it easy to customize your AI video avatar to accommodate different languages.
• Consistency. AI video avatars allow you to maintain the same tone and style across a wide range of digital marketing campaigns.
• Personalization. AI video avatars make it possible to tailor messages to the needs of different audiences.
• Available 24/7. AI avatars don’t get tired. They don’t need to sleep or take a break, so they make it easy to create large volumes of videos.

Challenges and Ethical Concerns of AI Video Avatars

Despite many benefits, AI video avatars also have several downsides. Since digital creatives often use hyper-realistic avatars, this raises concerns about the possibility of misuse, infringement, or copyright issues. Therefore, before using an AI avatar for your campaigns, ensure you collaborate with teams responsible for adhering to the TICLA guidelines on creating, training, and implementing AI in their business operations.

Also, avoid ignoring other video elements, such as on-screen visualization, movement, text, and more, when using AI avatars. If you want to communicate a complex topic, you can use avatars to give it a human-like element. At the same time, other video tools can be great options for enhancing clarity and expression.

There is also the challenge of quality control. If you have a poorly designed avatar or a mismatched lip sync, this may make your video look less credible. Therefore, ensure you use software that aligns with your quality and brand standards. When you address these challenges, you can easily address the challenges that come with AI avatars and mitigate the associated risks.

How to Create a Video Using an AI Avatar

It's easy to create a video using an AI avatar. Here are the steps you need to follow:

• Pick an AI avatar. You need to start by choosing a realistic avatar that suits your needs. Some of the most popular options include Synthesia, Creativity, and SundaySky.
• Defining a script. You also need to create a dialogue or text for the avatar you are trying to create. You can make a pre-recorded audio or a text-to-speech video with many tools.
• Creating an avatar design. You can customize your avatar's appearance, including clothing, facial features, and expressions. This should align with your brand's identity.
• Adding a lip and voice sync. Now, you can add a voiceover to the talking avatar or use a text-to-speech generator. Some advanced software can lip-sync with the speech.
• Choose animation. You can create background hand gestures and other animations according to your niche.
• Export the video. Once you're delighted, you can export the video in your desired format.

Talking Avatars: Use and Applications

There are different areas where talking avatars can be used. These include:

Education

 You can use these avatars in education to:

• Create e-learning tutorials and modules where a talking avatar explains complex topics.
• Share lessons in different languages.

Marketing

• Create highly personalized video ads tailored to the needs of the specific customer demographics.
• Have a consistent message across your different channels.

Customer service

•  Virtual agents to answer your FAQs and guide you through different processes.
•  Use conversation AI to offer 24/7 support.

Healthcare

•  Use avatar explainer videos for educating patients.
•  Simulate different healthcare scenarios for training.

Gaming and Entertainment

• Avatar characters can be used in interactive storytelling and video gaming.
• Create virtual influencers.

Will AI Video Avatars Replace Human Influencers?

With AI influencers' many benefits and applications, questions have been raised on whether AI avatars will replace human creators. We will likely see more cut-throat competition among creators who leverage AI video avatars to create content faster than humans. This avalanche of AI avatars can divert attention away from human creators, including those who create digital clones of them.

On the other hand, virtual influencers have their downsides, such as a lack of empathy, relatability, and authenticity. This means that some social media users will still prefer authentic human influencers. Therefore, in the future, we will see a situation where AI video avatars will work hand in hand with human influencers. You can read our guide on tools and platforms leveraging AI for social media management.