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The case of the AI Scott Adams shows that even if a public figure expressed a desire to live on as an AI, their estate and family likely have strong legal grounds to shut it down based on rights of likeness. The creator's "principled stand" will likely lose in court, setting a precedent that protects personal likeness over past statements.
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Sam Altman forecasts a shift where celebrities and brands move from fearing unauthorized AI use to complaining if their likenesses aren't featured enough. They will recognize AI platforms as a vital channel for publicity and fan connection, flipping the current defensive posture on its head.
Meta has patented an AI to operate a deceased person's social media account based on their historical data. This signals a strategic interest in preserving the network effects and engagement potential of a user's social graph indefinitely, raising profound questions about digital afterlives and perpetual monetization.
AI apps creating interactive digital avatars of deceased loved ones are becoming technologically and economically viable. While framed as preserving a legacy, this "digital immortality" raises profound questions about the grieving process and emotional boundaries, for which society lacks the psychological and ethical frameworks.
The controversy over AI-generated content extends far beyond intellectual property. The emotional distress caused to families, as articulated by Zelda Williams regarding deepfakes of her late father, highlights a profound and often overlooked human cost of puppeteering the likenesses of deceased individuals.
The AI Scott Adams channel was banned from YouTube for potentially confusing users, not for a clear legal violation. This demonstrates that platform policies and their opaque enforcement mechanisms are currently a more immediate and powerful regulator of AI-generated content than established right-of-publicity laws.
Meta patented an AI for deceased users to continue posting. While unsettling, this addresses a critical business reality: researchers predict dead users on Facebook will outnumber the living by 2050. The feature is a strategic attempt to maintain platform activity and engagement as its user base ages.
Actors like Bryan Cranston challenging unauthorized AI use of their likeness are forcing companies like OpenAI to create stricter rules. These high-profile cases are establishing the foundational framework that will ultimately define and protect the digital rights of all individuals, not just celebrities.
The controversial AI-generated Scott Adams podcast highlights a gaping hole in estate planning. The incident suggests an emerging need for a legal instrument akin to a 'Do Not Resuscitate' order, allowing individuals to legally specify whether their likeness can be replicated by AI after their death.
Actor Matthew McConaughey argues that fighting AI's integration into creative fields is futile. He advises creators to proactively "own yourself" by trademarking their voice and likeness. This reframes the relationship with AI from one of opposition to one of business, turning personal brands into licensable assets for AI-generated content, ensuring creators get paid.
After users created disrespectful depictions of MLK Jr., OpenAI now allows estates to request restrictions on likenesses in Sora. This "opt-out" policy is a reactive, unscalable game of "whack-a-mole." It creates a subjective and unmanageable system for its trust and safety teams, who will be flooded with requests.
