"I needed the money" Regrets: Actors who sold AI avatars stuck in Black Mirror-esque dystopia Is $1,000 worth being the AI face of obvious scams? Rueful actors say no. Ashley Belanger – Apr 18, 2025 2:25 pm | 3 Credit: arvitalya | iStock / Getty Images Plus Credit: arvitalya | iStock / Getty Images Plus Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more In a Black Mirror-esque turn, some cash-strapped actors who didn't fully understand the consequences are regretting selling their likenesses to be used in AI videos that they consider embarrassing, damaging, or harmful, AFP reported. Among them is a 29-year-old New York-based actor, Adam Coy, who licensed rights to his face and voice to a company called MCM for one year for $1,000 without thinking, "am I crossing a line by doing this?" His partner's mother later found videos where he appeared as a doomsayer predicting disasters, he told the AFP. South Korean actor Simon Lee's AI likeness was similarly used to spook naïve Internet users but in a potentially more harmful way. He told the AFP that he was "stunned" to find his AI avatar promoting "questionable health cures on TikTok and Instagram," feeling ashamed to have his face linked to obvious scams. As AI avatar technology improves, the temptation to license likenesses will likely grow. One of the most successful companies that's recruiting AI avatars, UK-based Synthesia, doubled its valuation to $2.1 billion in January, CNBC reported. And just last week, Synthesia struck a $2 billion deal with Shutterstock that will make its AI avatars more human-like, The Guardian reported. To ensure that actors are incentivized to license their likenesses, Synthesia also recently launched an equity fund. According to the company, actors behind the most popular AI avatars or featured in Synthesia marketing campaigns will be granted options in "a pool of our company shares" worth $1 million. "These actors will be part of the program for up to four years, during which their equity awards will vest monthly," Synthesia said. For actors, selling their AI likeness seems quick and painless—and perhaps increasingly more lucrative. All they have to do is show up and make a bunch of different facial expressions in front of a green screen, then collect their checks. But Alyssa Malchiodi, a lawyer who has advocated on behalf of actors, told the AFP that "the clients I've worked with didn't fully understand what they were agreeing to at the time," blindly signing contracts with "clauses considered abusive," even sometimes granting "worldwide, unlimited, irrevocable exploitation, with no right of withdrawal." "One major red flag is the use of broad, perpetual and irrevocable language that gives the company full ownership or unrestricted rights to use a creator's voice, image, and likeness across any medium," Malchiodi said. Even a company publicly committed to ethically developing AI avatars and preventing their use in harmful content like Synthesia can't guarantee that its content moderation will catch everything. A British actor, Connor Yeates, told the AFP that his video was "used to promote Ibrahim Traore, the president of Burkina Faso who took power in a coup in 2022" in violation of Synthesia's terms. "Three years ago, a few videos slipped our content moderation partly because there was a gap in our enforcement for factually accurate but polarizing type content or videos with exaggerated claims or propaganda, for example," said Alexandru Voica, head of Synthesia's corporate affairs. Synthesia offers opt-outs, vows to protect actors For actors who risk AI potentially replacing them in the market, AI avatars could be one path to shore up income and ensure their livelihoods. Since 2023, Synthesia has sold its avatars to about half of Fortune 500 companies, Bloomberg reported, and their business only seems to continue exploding. For brands, the allure of using AI avatars is reducing the time and costs of production for marketing campaigns, so that demand seems unlikely to wane. But for actors who already regret inking deals that prevent them from taking down harmful videos, the money may no longer seem worth the trouble. Yeates was paid about $5,000 for a three-year contract with Synthesia that he signed simply because he doesn't "have rich parents and needed the money." But he likely couldn't have foreseen his face being used for propaganda, as even Synthesia didn't anticipate that outcome. Others may not like their AI avatar videos but consider the financial reward high enough to make up for the sting. Coy confirmed that money motivated his decision, and while he found it "surreal" to be depicted as a con artist selling a dystopian future, that didn't stop him from concluding that "it's decent money for little work." Potentially improving the climate for actors, Synthesia is forming a talent program that it claims will give actors a voice in decision-making about AI avatars. "By involving actors in decision-making processes, we aim to create a culture of mutual respect and continuous improvement," Synthesia's blog said. The company also said it has built security features, minimizes abuse, and protects actors from harmful content. Critically, those efforts include restricting AI avatar use in paid advertisements on social media or broadcast media. Perhaps most importantly, they also give actors opt-out controls they can use "at any point, if they no longer wish for their corresponding stock avatar to be used in new videos." An ejection seat may provide relief, but it won't impact videos already out there. For now, Synthesia claims to be the "only enterprise-focused AI video platform to proactively monitor and extensively prevent the generation of harmful content," with policies "ensuring our talent’s likenesses are not used inappropriately." Ashley Belanger Senior Policy Reporter Ashley Belanger Senior Policy Reporter Ashley is a senior policy reporter for Ars Technica, dedicated to tracking social impacts of emerging policies and new technologies. She is a Chicago-based journalist with 20 years of experience. 3 Comments