Do AI-generated models make a campaign diverse?
Hustle Crew
Since we launched in 2016 we’ve helped ambitious people in tech and beyond take their careers to the next level.
In This Week’s Email
To get this straight in your email inbox, subscribe?here & while we have you, book a workshop for your team here
Are virtual influencers helping progress on the diversity front?
Recently, there’s been a lot of conversation on social media about virtual influencers. These?AI-generated fictional characters?are gaining popularity on Instagram and TikTok and securing brand partnerships.
Take Shudu, described as the ‘world’s first digital supermodel’. She has 238,000 IG followers and has collaborated with Louis Vuitton, Furla and Lexus.
It’s easy to see Shudu’s appeal to marketers and consumers. She is beautiful; she has a lifestyle that most of us can only dream of, and she is under the control of her creator, visual artist Cameron-James Wilson.
And there lies the issue. Shudu presents as a dark-skinned Black woman of African heritage. Cameron-James is a white man from England.
We know Black people, especially women, face systemic racism within the influencer ecosystem. Black female influencers stand to lose even more money and opportunities if brands work with CGI images of Black women over them.
Shudu is digital blackface - and this is not OK.
Digital blackface?describes the practice of non-Black people using the voices, images and linguistic styles associated with Black people to express themselves online?in a way they wouldn’t do in real life.
Like if a white person posts a GIF of a Black woman rolling their eyes on Twitter to show they’re annoyed at something.?
On the surface, this tweet might seem funny and harmless. However, the user runs the risk of?perpetuating harmful stereotypes of Black women?as overly-animated and angry. Together, these online expressions contribute to the racial injustice affecting Black people globally.?
Also, when Black women see virtual versions of themselves celebrated for having dark skin or thicker lips, but they don’t get the same recognition in real life, it can harm their mental health.
Given virtual influencer creative studios tend to skew white and male, the issue of digital blackface in the virtual influencer world is likely to worsen.
领英推荐
But all is not lost.?
We can be conscious consumers of CGI influencer content. Before engaging with their IG or YouTube posts, ask yourself: what does a brand stand to gain by working with a CGI version of a Black person instead of a human one??
You can also check out the work of Black-led marketing agencies like?SevenSix Agency?and?Social Disruption?which are pushing for greater racial representation within the influencer sector.
New at Hustle Crew Academy
A version of the article above was first shared with the Hustle Crew Academy community of learners: with the?Hustle Crew Academy, you gain our popular inclusion training credentials to show off on your LinkedIn profile PLUS create a career you love built on your terms.
Join now and get access to exclusive training content including:
Start your?free trial?today. ??
What we’re reading
Brand new #Techish, listen to the latest episode
Listen to one of the?UK’s Top podcasts?— co-hosts Michael and Abadesi discuss all things Artificial Intelligence:
Want to bring Hustle Crew training into your team?