Spoiler alert! This story contains details from Sunday's episode of Big Brother.
When Big Brother's Angela Murray first saw her AI avatar, she couldn't quite impress upon the other houseguests that it wasn't her speaking, and that she definitely wasn't the one issuing the eviction notice.
She was only half right — the nominee was Quinn Martin, who won the power to overturn the Head of Household nomination earlier in the season — but it was unmistakably Murray's voice and image.
Before the BB season began, all the houseguests were asked to stand in front of a quick camera and answer some basic questions. Murray and his fellow HGs were not told how their images and voices would be used. Everyone just assumed it was for marketing purposes or for future scenes in the game.
In reality, it was for the tech wizards at Proto, the company responsible for the holographic communications platform used on the show, to create an avatar that would do and say whatever the BB producers wanted, including a deepfake HOH that looked and sounded just like Murray (and could also be manipulated to speak in Cantonese or Italian, for example, if the producers wanted).
By capturing images of HG and recording his voice, Proto is able to create an artificial doppelganger in an incredibly short time. Sunday's episode saw the creation of an avatar of Martin who will wreak havoc as the AI Instigator, a being tasked with carrying out the diabolical whims of Tucker Des Lauriers. America has given Martin his powers for a week.
Martin's image, like Murray's before it, was “physically projected” into a life-size glass box known as an Epic, which retails for around $30,000 and has so far been used primarily in retail stores, hospitals and universities.
“We're the first in the world to do this,” explains David Nussbaum, founder and CEO of Proto and a self-described BB superfan. “All you need is a 4K camera, even an iPhone. There's an app for the iPhone, so you put it on a tripod, press the beam button, and it's like you're on a Zoom call on one end, and on the other end you're physically in 12 different places at the same time.”
The technology is especially popular among educators because “they can beam in remotely and give guest lectures from all over the world.”
But some big names are already discovering its appeal: Howie Mandel, for example, has incorporated Epic into the set of his podcast, “Howie Mandel Does Stuff,” which he also films for YouTube. (It also helps that Proto rents showroom space in Mandel's Van Nuys industrial building, where he produces the podcast.)
“We recently sent Howie to JFK airport to harass travelers,” Nussbaum says.
Along with Mandel, other celebrities have helped Nussbaum demonstrate the power of his technology: Visit his showroom and you'll be greeted by three Epic-like mini star containers. But the real Camila Cabello is fine; her leather-booted avatar is just that:
“We have a lot of guardrails in place and we can't manipulate content without approval from the people for whom it was created,” Nussbaum explains.
This means BB houseguests won't have to worry about Proto using their images once the game is over. “All content will be destroyed,” he promises. “This is for entertainment purposes. This is not an AI, this is Big Brother AI.”
When asked about the company's future, Nussbaum said its business model is geared towards corporate, commercial and retail, but he hopes Hollywood will explore the possibilities of his hologram tricks. Proto's appearance on Big Brother will be his first big foray into television.
“When it comes to Hollywood, I think the future is in the hands of artists and filmmakers,” Nussbaum says. “This is just a tool to enable them to do more. Before the internet, people were scared of it. Before smart phones, people would go into the kitchen and use the wall phone. This isn't something to be scared of. This is something to be grateful for and learn from. This is something to be used as a creative tool, not a replacement for anything.”
