AI-Powered Virtual Influencer Sophie Is Now Selling NFTs

As advances in computer graphics and natural language AI have made it easier to create realistic-seeming virtual humans, some companies are attempting to turn these artificial personas into influencers that can work on behalf of brands and cultivate a fan base. One such company is New Zealand-based startup Uneeq, maker of a digital human called Sophie, who has partnered with brands like BMW, Deutsche Telekom and IBM. Uneeq recently launched a new collection of nonfungible token (NFT) art as a way for Sophie to build her profile and better integrate her into the constellation of emerging technologies known as Web3. Sophie isn't the first AI persona to sell NFTs; that distinction likely belongs to similarly named Sophia the robot, who managed to sell a "self-portrait" for nearly $700,000 last year. But Uneeq CEO Danny Tomsett said Sophie's NFTs aren't necessarily as much about raising revenue as building a fan community around Sophie and boosting her status as a tech-savvy influencer. "What we thought was, if you could imagine someone in the human context making a collectible series available, like a celebrity or whatever, that could create quite a great community and connection with this individual," Tomsett said. "We wanted to actually be really genuine around the ongoing value that we created. ... We wanted to ensure that you have a part of her success." https://vimeo.com/677984576 The actual NFT project consists of two parts: The first piece is a short video of Sophie dressed in one of 12 outfits saying a phrase of the buyer's choosing, and the second a ticket to Sophie's "art studio" in the metaverse, where she will create a piece of art based on a conversation with the buyer. Uneeq is selling a total of more than 5,000 of these tokens with bidding starting at the equivalent of nearly $600. Agency Nothing Much NFT is helping to orchestrate the project. About 10% of the proceeds will go toward building a virtual companion for children's hospitals and funding emerging artists through a group called MojoHeads. "Our vision is to raise enough funds to build an AI digital human companion for kids that will be offered at no cost to children’s hospitals around the world," Tomsett said. "We’ve learnt that this can make a big difference in helping with anxiety and offering much-needed distraction during difficult times for kids and their families." Beyond Sophie Uneeq has also made waves with its digital version of Albert Einstein, created in collaboration with The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the late scientist's estate, which can discuss his life and research while imitating his voice, image and mannerisms. The startup similarly created an AI-powered avatar of UBS chief economist Daniel Kalt, who was created to help the bank disseminate financial information to clients through a friendly chatbot interface. As far as more generalized use cases, Uneeq's virtual humans can be deployed for business functions ranging from customer service and sales to financial and health care advisers. The company plans to continue to roll out both virtual humans built for the needs of specific brands and virtual influencers that work for multiple brands, like Sophie. "The key question is, what are you bringing to the table that you have as an existing IP or brand asset that may already have an established community or following," Tomsett said. "So Sophie may not be the right ambassador when you've already got such strong brand ambassadors established, just not interactive." Branded avatar ambassadors have become increasingly popular with certain companies as they look for new ways to engage audiences online. Last year, Nestle rolled out an AI cookie coach persona built by another New Zealand startup called Soul Machines, and the year before, Spotify created an AI clone of The Weeknd to interact with fans online. Samsung’s Live Shopping Event Was Hosted By a Virtual Influencer