Users transforming themselves into stylized dolls through AI technology is the latest trend taking over social media. The power of AI image generation platforms has fueled the ‘AI doll’ craze as people create digital avatars resembling collectibles. While this phenomenon serves as a source of entertainment and creative expression for users, brands simultaneously need to deal with the complexity of finding a middle ground between trend-jacking and losing their identity.
The AI Doll Phenomenon: Digitalizing Identities
Creating an AI doll is a straightforward process. Users upload their self-portraits onto specialized platforms such as ChatGPT, inputting prompts that define the specific doll-like features and accessories they want. The AI subsequently generates an image that aligns with these instructions, frequently amalgamating components from well-known toy lines or franchises.
Capitalizing on the Opportunity: Participation or Exploration?
The Indo-Pacific region has seen brands jumping on the AI doll bandwagon owing to its viral nature. Prudential Singapore and Toast Box Singapore, along with Grab Malaysia, have all created AI doll versions of their financial representatives, kopi master, and riders. These instances have shown how brands can use marketing strategies to interact with customers in a fun and innovative manner.
The Brand Control Dilemma: Juggling the Unjuggable
Control and intellectual property issues tend to arise with the use of dolls as brand representatives as this swiftly advances AI technologies that imitate dolls. AI systems impersonating characters associated with companies increasingly become able to generate brand looks, personas, comments, and even that brand’s voice, which increases the risk of identity theft or identity dilution.
Markethub’s managing director, Lierence Li, spotlights this quandary, stating that “we as users enter ID control issues. For example, I can generate brand likeness images of Mattel’s Barbie and with those likeness images, I can create Barbie merchandise.” He stresses the implications of CGIs when you can create branded images that officially license a brand doll brings.
Data Privacy and IP: The Risks that Lie Beneath
Nathan Petralia, the ex-managing director of Merkle Hong Kong, flees from the echo chamber as he highlights the danger of data privacy and intellectual property. He points out how the trend offers creative engagement opportunities but still calls for ‘thoughtful handling’ to avert disastrous outcomes.
A Counterpoint: Finding a Balance on AI’s AI-Generated Content
Eyebrows were raised by Guo-You Chew, Managing Director, APAC, Tommy, as he hypothesized the AI doll phenomenon as a less dangerous form of entertainment. “The AI doll trend serves as a middle ground to still exhibit the image generation capabilities of AI tools without encroaching on beloved IPs and sailing too close to the wind of copyright infringements,” Chew makes the case.
The Need for Speed: Trend-Jacking’s Time Sensitivity
The focus of the article is the temporality of trend-jacking, mentioning the AI doll trend, similar to the previous “Ghiblification” trend, is ephemeral in nature. “To participate in such a trend, speed is essential,” the article quotes. “The recent ‘Ghiblification’ trend lasted up to two weeks. The AI doll phenomenon will most likely emerge and fade away in the same time frame.”
Strategic Considerations: Resonance and Relevance
It is highly recommended that brands reevaluate the importance the relevance AI doll trend holds in comparison to their intended audience and brand identity. “Brands need to consider if the trend would resonate with its audience and if it’s relevant to the brand,” Chew elaborated. For instance, brands that focus on environmental sustainability need to consider the carbon footprint of AI image generation.
Embracing User Creativity: Recognition and Elevation
The article goes on to describe the situation where consumers AI-generate dolls on behalf of a brand, not the other way around. It is suggested by Chew that brands should accept flattering portrayals and endorse such positive engagement to strengthen consumer affinity towards the brand.
Addressing the Challenges of Content: A Strategic Tactic
Too often, other brands are not ready to deal with inappropriate content that has been automatically generated through AI systems. Regarding such issues, Chew expresses that “the response strategy addresses the elements of the problem and blends with the overall strategy. The response typically uses caution when attending to the issues since the risks being addressed are often too great.”
Observance and the Proactivity Paradox: “How to ‘Do It’ Before It’s Done”
She argues that attention should be devoted to remarkability on the internet. In Ms. Van-Winthers’ words, “Monitoring is a key component; having a system for real-time monitoring and the tracking of keywords, hashtags, and mentions of brands gives the opportunity to increase good and diminish the bad.”
Bleeding on the Inside: Mourning the Death of Brand Identity
In turn, she expresses, “AI dolls present a serious dilemma for companies.” On the subject, Li urges us to be “careful about where they expose their logos, trademarks, and other distinctive marks, as these can be incorporated into user-made AI designs.” The images emerge from these social platforms at breathtaking speeds; therefore, proactive measures to protect brands are urgent.
In Closing: Consistency Synchronized With Appropriateness
The AI doll phenomenon illustrates another area where appealing to engaging interaction requires the exercise of caution. As for us, brands can take advantage of the unexpected popularity by stealthily bypassing the accompanying scrutiny by considering the trend’s purpose, watching its fallout, and promptly taking action not easily ignored.
