Ai Hosted Infomercial Shifts $7.5 Million Worth Of Product In China
Asia In Brief Chinese web giant Baidu last week staged a livestream hosted by an AI version of local influencer Yonghao Luo and scored 13 million hits and $7.5 million of sales.
Luo is a tech entrepreneur who rose to fame as a teacher whose lectures went viral on the Chinese internet, then ran companies that produced smartphones and a blogging platform. In recent years he’s hosted “livestreams” – the live infomercials that are a big feature of China’s e-commerce industry.
Baidu created a digital version of Luo, using its ERNIE models to enable real-time interactions with another digital avatar and the human audience.
“Yonghao Luo’s digital avatar and a supporting avatar interacted naturally, frequently exchanging punchlines,” according to a Baidu statement. “They exhibited detailed gestures—such as making eye contact and speaking in unison—that mirrored real human hosts, all while engaging with viewers in real time, demonstrating new capabilities for the industry.”
The event attracted over 13 million views and generated over 55 million RMB ($7.5 million) of merchandise sales.
What a time to be alive.
India tries to track consent to digital marketing opt-ins
India’s Telecom Regulatory Authority last week launched a project that aims to confirm consumers’ consent to receive digital marketing messages.
As outlined in an “Information note” [PDF], the regulatory receives many complaints about spammy text messages and calls, which the organizations that sent the messages say were legitimate because consumers opted in to receive marketing messages during an offline interaction or after securing consent through “unverifiable means”.
As the senders of such messages aim to defraud recipients, the regulator blocks many sources of suspected spam but also catches some legitimate users.
The consent-tracking project aims to record when and how consumers opt in, to help legitimate marketers reach their intended audience. The regulator has therefore started a pilot that involves India’s banks and telcos, in the hope they can reduce the incidence of fraudulent messages. If successful, the regulator will expand the project to other industries.
China hails early results of AI crackdown
China’s Cyberspace Administration last week celebrated the success of its campaign to prevent abuse of AI.
The regulator said over 3,500 illegal AI apps were taken offline, 960,000-plus sources of illegal information cleaned up, and 3,700 accounts were “handled”.
Over 400 organizations have complied with Beijing’s requirement to label AI-generated content, and web giants Tencent and Douyin took steps to remove inappropriate content and apps.
Australia, Boeing, demo drone-and-AWACS ops
Australia’s Air Force and US aerospace giant Boeing last week conducted a demonstration of troops operating drones from within an airborne early warning and control (AWACS) craft.
Australia operates an AWAC called the E-7A Wedgetail that’s based on the Boeing 737, and has worked with the company on a drone called the MQ-28 Ghost Bat.
Last week, crew aboard the Wedgetail operated a pair of Ghost Bats – an example of a technique called “teaming” that sees crewed and drone aircraft operate together. Boeing and Australia plan further tests involving F/A-18F and F-35 jets.
An artist’s rendering of a Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail teaming with two MQ-28 Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft. (Boeing illustration) – Click to enlarge
China Mobile faces US fines
The United States’ Federal Communications Commission last week warned China Mobile that its failure to assist an investigation into its US operations could lead to big fines.
The Commission considers China Mobile a threat to national security and in 2022 opened an investigation into the Chinese carrier. The regulator has ordered China Mobile to produce various documents and details of its operations. In a Citation and Order [PDF] published last week, the Commission stated China Mobile has not provided the required info and warned of considerable fines if the carrier does not comply. ®
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