Japanese tea commercial actress created by AI, is it the scandal-free future
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Re: Japanese tea commercial actress created by AI, is it the scandal-free future
#2Well, the headline has buried the lede.
Re: Japanese tea commercial actress created by AI, is it the scandal-free future
#3I true HN style, I'd like to reply in an only tangentially related way...
That would be: How could a tea commercial actress cause scandal anyway?
I mean, who really cares if your tea commercial actress has an abortion, or just breaks up with her boy friend?
In Japan, there's a really weird relationship between "fans" and "idols".
The public has very extreme expectations that the performer will somehow conform to their fantasy ideal of the person.
Young idol group members are prohibited from having personal relationships by their management, and deviations from these restrictions leads to those public applogies where the management and performer are bowing in front of a bunch of microphones becauses the actor failed to uphold the fantasy relationships that a million virgin otakus have for the performer.
I'm a big fan of Japanese culture myself, having studied it and the language for years. Having an ancient culture with a direct lineage to the present brings a lot of long term learning and wisdom, but it also brings a lot of hateful baggage,
This weird expectation of the personal behaviour of entertainment personalities is just one small example of that kind of baggage...
Re: Japanese tea commercial actress created by AI, is it the scandal-free future
#4I true HN style, I'd like to reply in an only tangentially related way... That would be: How could a tea commercial actress cause scandal anyway? I mean, who really cares if your tea commercial actress has an abortion, or just breaks up with her boy friend? In Japan, there's a really weird relationship between "fans" and "idols". The public has very extreme expectations that the performer will somehow conform to thei…
I can imagine companies like Disney going for this, as they insist on having cast members that have the purest of pasts and will not cause controversy with parents who are entrusting Disney with their children's time. It's like a vice clause for VCs' LPs. What better way to avoid controversy than to hire an actor who cannot cause controversy, by not actually existing.
Not sure if that's actually ever been an issue for a company like Disney, and I'm sure that the supply of actors they have access to is broad enough that it's impossible for them to find someone who will comply with their requirements. But who knows, maybe they'll go for AI talent too.
Ultimately my hunch is that AI actors will be used to save on cost, not to reduce controversy.
Re: Japanese tea commercial actress created by AI, is it the scandal-free future
#5This is such a weird angle for the story. The only "spokesperson scandal" I can think of is the Subway guy, and I don't really think even that enormous scandal hurt Subway very much. I have to believe the reduced effectiveness of a fake spokesperson outweighs the benefit of avoiding a minuscule chance of scandal.
Also, fictional spokes"people" like Mr. Peanut or whatever already exist. I don't think I understand why making them more photorealistic would make a difference.
Re: Japanese tea commercial actress created by AI, is it the scandal-free future
#6I true HN style, I'd like to reply in an only tangentially related way... That would be: How could a tea commercial actress cause scandal anyway? I mean, who really cares if your tea commercial actress has an abortion, or just breaks up with her boy friend? In Japan, there's a really weird relationship between "fans" and "idols". The public has very extreme expectations that the performer will somehow conform to thei…
>That would be: How could a tea commercial actress cause scandal anyway?
By being employed by a talent representative with a fifty year history of sexually abusing their clients. Imagine if their tea commercial came on right after the news story about them being abused, not a great look for the company.
I agree that the scrutiny idols are put under is ridiculous. Also, I doubt this decision actually has anything to do with the ongoing scandal. But your comment looks really bad considering what is happening.
Re: Japanese tea commercial actress created by AI, is it the scandal-free future
#7This is such a weird angle for the story. The only "spokesperson scandal" I can think of is the Subway guy, and I don't really think even that enormous scandal hurt Subway very much. I have to believe the reduced effectiveness of a fake spokesperson outweighs the benefit of avoiding a minuscule chance of scandal. Also, fictional spokes"people" like Mr. Peanut or whatever already exist. I don't think I understand why…
Not to get all “orientalism” but celebrity scandal is a pretty big deal in Japan and South Korea. It can kill a career quite easy, for (by US standards) innocuous things. Smoking pot, spicy selfies, having a significant other - it’s not uncommon.
Japan at least is also fairly receptive to artificial spokespeople, like mascots and avatars. Maybe there’s simply higher demand for this, and turning to AI is a good strategy. (I’m personally bothered by it.)
Re: Japanese tea commercial actress created by AI, is it the scandal-free future
#8I true HN style, I'd like to reply in an only tangentially related way... That would be: How could a tea commercial actress cause scandal anyway? I mean, who really cares if your tea commercial actress has an abortion, or just breaks up with her boy friend? In Japan, there's a really weird relationship between "fans" and "idols". The public has very extreme expectations that the performer will somehow conform to thei…
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Re: Japanese tea commercial actress created by AI, is it the scandal-free future
#9Nevertheless, the ad seems to have achieved its goal of attracting attention.
Re: Japanese tea commercial actress created by AI, is it the scandal-free future
#10This is such a weird angle for the story. The only "spokesperson scandal" I can think of is the Subway guy, and I don't really think even that enormous scandal hurt Subway very much. I have to believe the reduced effectiveness of a fake spokesperson outweighs the benefit of avoiding a minuscule chance of scandal. Also, fictional spokes"people" like Mr. Peanut or whatever already exist. I don't think I understand why…
Yeah, "person I've never seen before" doesn't give any clout to the product. Why would I care if that person drinks it?
Other than the appearance that it took like 30 years off her hair and skin, that is.