Actor's Likeness Sold to AI for Pennies, Used for Scams
The proliferation of AI-generated advertisements has become a pervasive feature of online platforms, particularly TikTok, where a distinct style of ad has emerged: a seemingly authentic person directly pitching a product to the camera. These “people,” however, are often sophisticated AI-driven digital avatars, offered by TikTok to advertisers who can dictate their message, provided it aligns with the platform’s content guidelines.
One such human behind these digital facades is 52-year-old Scott Jacqmein. Despite his AI-puppetted likeness appearing in countless ads across the platform, his compensation for this extensive exposure proved surprisingly meager. As Jacqmein revealed in a recent New York Times interview, he received a one-time payment of just $750 and no royalties for surrendering his image to the whims of advertisers he would never meet, promoting products he had never tried. This stands in stark contrast to TikTok’s reported $10 billion in annual US ad revenue.
Jacqmein’s digital avatar has been used to endorse a range of products, from a horoscope application—appearing against an AI-generated background depicting “birthdays of witches”—to an ad recommending users cancel their home insurance in favor of a product called “Safeu.” In one instance, his avatar even delivered a pitch in Spanish, a language Jacqmein does not speak.
Having lacked agent representation at the time he agreed to the deal, Jacqmein now expresses regret, stating he would have negotiated for significantly higher pay and stricter controls over how his likeness could be utilized. He described the situation as technology evolving faster than contractual frameworks, allowing companies to “poach eager new actors who don’t have representation into their web of avatars.” Jacqmein, who had recently transitioned into acting, initially viewed the opportunity with a major company like TikTok as a promising start. While he maintains he is not inherently anti-AI or anti-TikTok, he emphasizes the unpredictable “ramifications” of such agreements.
The acting industry has experienced rapid inroads from AI in recent years, often preying on non-union actors who lack the protections secured by Hollywood actors during a 2023 strike. Tech companies frequently entice these actors, desperate for work, with quick payments for simple tasks like reading lines in front of a greenscreen. This exploitative approach merges potently with the often-dubious world of online advertising. In a more extreme case, one actor who licensed their likeness to an AI company called Synthesia was shocked to discover their face being used to endorse a foreign coup.
Jacqmein’s experience is far from isolated. Other actors who participated in TikTok’s program reported similar compensation, ranging from $500 to $1,000 for their work. This falls significantly below typical rates for commercial actors; talent agencies indicate that non-represented actors can earn between $300 to $1,000 per commercial, and represented actors on non-union jobs can command up to $2,500 per commercial. Crucially, these AI actors received a single, small payment for a potentially limitless number of ads. Furthermore, TikTok’s payments appear particularly parsimonious compared to other AI companies; the actor whose face was used for the foreign coup endorsement, for instance, reportedly received $5,240.
The substantial cost savings offered by digital avatars are, however, highly attractive to advertisers and investors. Venture capitalist and former TV network executive Joe Marchese told the New York Times that “every advertiser would like to save money if they can save money,” predicting that the rise of digital avatars could be “seismic for advertising.” This burgeoning landscape underscores a growing ethical dilemma, where human likeness can be commodified for minimal cost, with little control over its subsequent, potentially problematic, use.