Danger! The Fate of Influencers Threatened as Competitors Emerge—Beware of New Disasters
The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) influencers proves that the leap in innovation in artificial intelligence has moved far beyond the capabilities of chatbots. This cutting-edge technology is now capable of creating entire virtual figures that appear lifelike and can interact with the public much like real humans.
Rianda Dirkareshza from UPN Veteran Jakarta, in an article featured by The Conversation on 5 June 202lar, explains that the presence of these digital figures is designed to build virtual personas active on social media. The global advertising industry views AI influencers as a much more efficient alternative to boost the performance of corporate digital marketing campaigns.
“AI influencers are used to market products, build brand image, influence public opinion, and even shape consumer behaviour,” stated Dirkareshza in the article titled “‘AI Influencer’: Threats to Data Privacy and Identity Forgery Behind the New Trend.”
When AI Consumes Human Work and Mimics Creative Identities
The use of virtual influencers offers much higher levels of control for brand owners over the communication messages they wish to convey. This has triggered serious impacts, where the primary issue is now moving towards the exploitation of human identity in the digital space.
Recent research shows that most generative AI systems work by learning from millions of pieces of data on the internet to train their algorithmic precision. The main controversy lies in the fact that the majority of the works used for training are taken unilaterally without official permission from the creators.
“Under Law Number 28 of 2014 concerning Copyright, creators have the exclusive right to reproduce, adapt, distribute, and announce their creations,” explained Dirkareshza.
When original works are taken without permission, this situation triggers debates regarding a tangible form of copyright infringement. The complexity of the issue intensifies as AI systems become adept at duplicating the unique styles associated with specific creators.
“For example, various generative AI models are capable of producing images that resemble the styles of famous painters such as Vincent van Gogh or the works of Studio Ghibli,” wrote Dirkareshza.
In 2023, an AI-composed song even shook the public due to its ability to mimic Drake’s vocal characteristics without the musician’s involvement. This reality has sparked new concerns as artificial intelligence technology has proven capable of replicating creative identities and damaging the moral reputation of their creators.
Face and Voice Forgery Using Deepfakes and PDP Law Regulations
The threat from the AI influencer trend becomes a serious issue when deepfake technology is used to clone a person’s face and voice. In several cases, this manipulative technology is frequently misused to produce fake videos of officials or commercial advertisements without permission.
Sharp scrutiny is now directed at regulations in Indonesia, as the issue of identity forgery is directly related to applicable national laws. Facial characteristics and voice recordings are legally classified as biometric data that absolutely require special protection.
“In several cases, this technology is used to create fake videos of public officials, synthetic pornographic content, and advertisements using someone’s face without consent,” said Dirkareshza.
Any form of AI avatar engineering without legal permission is no longer merely a breach of ordinary digital ethics. This practice of digital identity exploitation is now not only threatening celebrities but also has the potential to target the wider public.
A Real Threat to Digital Democracy and the Legal Trap of the ITE Law
The sophistication of AI technology, capable of producing imitation videos with high levels of authenticity, has now turned into a new threat to democracy. The manipulation of fake videos of officials is highly vulnerable to being used as an instrument for political propaganda and the spread of disinformation that is difficult to verify.
The condition of electronic information manipulation and the spread of fake news is observed to be closely related to criminal sanction regulations in the country. However, the acceleration of AI innovation is moving far faster than the current capacity of legal regulation.
“In the Indonesian context, this relates to Law Number 1 of 2024, the Second Amendment to Law Number 11 of 2008 concerning Electronic Information and Transactions (UU ITE), specifically regarding the manipulation of electronic information, the spread of fake news, and defamation,” said Dirkareshza.
Given that AI is not a legal subject possessing consciousness, artificial intelligence systems cannot be held legally accountable. This leaves a major question regarding who must bear responsibility when digital violations occur.
“The current global debate is moving towards the concept of shared liability, namely the shared responsibility between AI developers, digital platforms, and end-users,” said Dirkareshza.
Development companies can be brought into legal proceedings if it is proven that they trained their machines using illegal data supplies. Meanwhile, end-users remain positioned as the party most responsible if they intentionally carry out acts of slander.
Human Control in the Era of Artificial Intelligence According to WIPO
In a recent discussion forum by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the topic of AI’s impact successfully became a primary agenda item. The international agency emphasised the urgency of establishing a balance between technological innovation and the protection of the fundamental rights of creators.