At WWDC 2023, Apple introduced Vision Pro headset with a new Persona feature. Using integrated cameras, it scans the user’s face to create a realistic digital doppelgänger. This digital replica takes over during video calls, imitating the user’s facial expressions and movements in real time. What’s more? Major video call platforms like FaceTime, Teams, Webex, and Zoom will be compatible with these 3D realistic avatars, alongside the option to choose cartoonish digital avatars. 

While these lifelike avatars can be fun, anything that you post online has a high chance of being manipulated using AI. Recently, German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom introduced a campaign with AI-generated video of a nine-year-old girl, revealing the dark side of social media where images are susceptible to be manipulated with AI image generators like Midjourney, Stable Diffusion and more. According to a report, 96% of non-consensual Deepfake videos online involve women, primarily celebrities, being used to create sexual content without their permission. In a scenario like this, having a digital avatar can be helpful to maintain anonymity online. 

Apple has been the flagbearer of privacy and creating highly realistic avatars. For the Vision Pro headset, users have to scan their faces with the headset’s selfie cameras to create 3D, hyper-realistic digital avatars. While on the one hand, it is generating lifelike images, on the other hand, Apple may be using your facial data to train their upcoming AI models. 

According to former IBM security lead Dr Paul Ashley, the conventional definition of anonymity doesn’t quite fit the complexities of our internet interactions, where our personal details can give us away. It starts with basic activities using our real identity, but we can switch to avatar email addresses, phone numbers, and even alternate names to enhance anonymity. It’s important to note that we can mix and match avatar features to suit our needs, giving us control over our level of anonymity.

Amidst these developments, the notion of online identity is undergoing a significant shift and it can be seen in Sam Altman’s latest venture Worldcoin that assigns a unique identity to people. Worldcoin’s World ID protocol focuses on privacy through iris scanning for identity validation. This privacy-oriented approach aims to create a decentralised global identity system. 

Why People Love Avatars

Since the time Sims, Second Humans made it to the screens, humans have been obsessed with their online identities, aka digital avatars.

The avatars came to light with Metaverse, but why are big techs are capitalising on avatars. Amid concerns that OpenAI might pull the plug on ChatGPT, it announced the acquisition of AI design studio Global Illumination to work on its core products including ChatGPT as well as games and simulated worlds. This is similar to Microsoft-owned decentralised gaming platform Minecraft.  Other gaming giants like Roblox and Epic Games, have equally invested in avatar creation.

Recently, Meta unveiled avatar upgrades to its vast user base of over one billion avatars, adding diverse body shapes and improved hair and clothing textures for better self-expression and inclusivity. Despite these improvements, avatars on Meta’s Horizon Worlds VR platform will still lack legs. However, unlike Apple, Meta, WhatsApp, Instagram’s avatars are disappointing. 

Nevertheless, people still love cartoon versions of themselves. Besides privacy protection, one theory links this to the mirror stage, where the joy of seeing avatars mimic our actions is just like infants recognising themselves. Another theory suggests avatars provide a carefree way to represent oneself, distinct from the pressure of selfies. Avatars also serve as alter egos in digital narratives. 

Digging Deeper

However, this is not the first time that tech giants have experimented with avatars. Zoom was one of the first video communication platforms to add the Avatars feature allowing users to transform into animals like rabbits, foxes, or dogs for their upcoming meetings in 2021. This feature uses virtual characters that mimic your facial expressions, akin to Memojis.

Microsoft too introduced a new feature for Teams users, enabling them to generate a 3D avatar for meeting participation, even without a camera or webcam. However, these enhancements won’t be noticeable in the VR environment but will appear in visuals like stickers, profile pictures, and cover photos. These updates offer new avenues for digital self-expression, benefiting Meta’s vast user base of over 1 billion avatars. Meta initially started off with avatars for metaverse vision but now that they have likely abandoned that dream, the LLaMA maker is finding more avenues for avatars. 

This can be seen in their latest move of adding a new feature that lets you join video calls on Messenger and Instagram using your virtual Meta avatar. Similar to Apple’s Memoji avatars, Meta’s avatars mimic facial expressions and mouth movements, making conversations clearer. The update also brings animated avatar stickers for reactions like thumbs up or laughter, usable on Instagram and Facebook platforms.

To sum up, in an era when AI can manipulate your image without your consent in a span of two seconds, avatars can serve as a loyal protectors.