Synthesia creates interactive avatar for TechCrunch journalist
Synthesia created an interactive digital avatar of a TechCrunch journalist, trained exclusively on an article about why venture-backed startups may commit more fraud than other startups. The avatar answers questions about the story using a combination of the company’s voice, language, and video models; Synthesia also lets customers choose models from Cartesia, ElevenLabs, Google, or OpenAI.
To produce the avatar, the journalist consented to the process, had numerous photos taken, and recorded two minutes of audio in a studio inside the company’s office. Synthesia took a few days to create interactive versions and personal versions that only read scripts. The experience, described by TechCrunch, left the journalist with mixed feelings about the possible role of digital avatars in everyday life.
Why it matters · editorial interpretation
The case puts consent and usage boundaries at the center of adopting avatars that reproduce a person’s voice, appearance, and language. The journalist’s mixed reaction also points to practical questions about the role of these formats in everyday life.
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Creation