Unlocking Celebrity Power with AI: The Future of Commercials

In the future, when LeBron James wants to do a McDonald's commercial, he won't have to fly to Georgia to film it. Instead, the process will be much more streamlined. Thanks to advancements in AI, companies will put in an API request, pay the required fee, and license his face, voice, and likeness. They will be able to script the entire commercial, have LeBron approve it, and that's it. This process will save time and allow celebrities to earn more money with less effort.

Influencers and celebrities make money from their name, face, and voice. Now that AI and Deepfake technology are advancing, companies can create highly realistic fake videos. These "Deepfakes" are getting incredibly good, and this improvement presents a massive business opportunity.

However, here's where people get it wrong: this isn't just a tech problem; it’s actually a rights problem. The real opportunity lies in rights ownership. The strategic move is not to invest heavily in developing the tech product but to focus on business and legal aspects.

The key to defensibility is securing the rights to celebrities' names, faces, and voices. Right now, there's an open field for grabbing these rights. If you can lock down the rights to influential names, faces, and voices, you can either license them directly or create a platform that helps celebrities manage their rights and licenses.

The market favors celebrity endorsements. Whoever locks in these rights first will come out on top.

Keywords

AI
LeBron James
McDonald's commercial
Deepfake technology
License
Rights ownership
Celebrity endorsements
Influencers
Business opportunity
API requests

FAQ

Q: How will AI change the commercial industry? A: AI will make commercial production more efficient. Celebrities won't have to be physically present. Their likeness and voice can be licensed, scripted, and approved remotely.

Q: What is Deepfake technology? A: Deepfake technology allows for the creation of highly realistic fake videos using AI, making it possible to mimic anyone's face and voice.

Q: Why is rights ownership more critical than the technology itself? A: The main opportunity lies in securing the rights to use celebrities' likenesses. This allows for exclusive control and the ability to license these rights out, offering a significant business advantage.

Q: What’s the current state of trying to secure these rights? A: Right now, it's a land grab situation. Those who can lock in rights to top celebrities first will gain a significant competitive edge.