YouTuber Gets Cloned
Dom Esposito began creating YouTube videos reviewing tech products more than a decade ago. His video production has evolved over the years with new editing techniques, more intriguing thumbnail images, better sets, and cameras. However, it has always been him in the videos. Now he can just type a script, upload videos or images, and create a video for publishing without ever turning on a camera.
In fact, I did just that using Dom’s avatar using Hour One’s Reals product to tell you about this story. See my summary of the Dom Esposito clone launch in the video below.
Beyond the Uncanny Valley
Avatars that represent real people aren’t exactly new. They’ve been around for many years. However, virtual human fidelity has changed a lot.
It should be immediately obvious that the avatar is lifelike, and the synch of head and lip movements with the spoken script has improved tremendously over the past few years. Though the uncanny valley reaction is subjective, it appears we have crossed the chasm, so to speak.
There are now many virtual humans and digital twins which are pleasant to look at and do not generate that uneasy feeling most people had when first watching The Polar Express.
Will Consumers Accept Virtual Humans?
It is an open question about how strongly consumers will embrace virtual humans. The technology is now good enough that most people find the end-product pleasant and even engaging. So, consumers will watch a virtual human talking about some things, but there is an interesting study to be done around how long they will engage compared to a real human.
I suspect virtual humans will be more popular than some real humans and less popular than most. I’m looking forward to seeing real data on this.
Levels of Control
I noted in the video summary above that Taryn Southern had created her own clone with Hour One last year. There is a key difference between her approach and Dom’s. She is the only one that can use her clone. By contrast, anyone can use Dom as their presenter. He is one of the presenter template options offered by Hour One.
When you become a template option, your avatar gets more exposure, but you also don’t get to fully control the brand. There are some limits to what words and topics the system allows you to include in the script, but the topics that could be addressed using an avatar are nearly limitless. However, presenters that lend their voice and image to a template avatar can also earn income every time they are selected for use.
See Dom Live at Synthedia
I will be interviewing YouTuber Dom Esposito at Synthedia, the synthetic media conference, this week. The event is online and free, and it will be an opportunity for you to hear more about his story and ask questions. Register to attend live or to get easy access to the recording afterward.
Learn More from Dom Himself
You can learn a lot more about the process and Dom’s thoughts on the software and clone in the video overview he published recently.