British telecoms company Vodafone is testing out a new spokesperson, a red-hoodied woman who speaks German and touts the benefit of high-speed home internet services.
One important note about this influencer: she’s AI-generated.
The character appears in a TikTok video posted three times on Vodafone’s official account and collectively, the videos have received more than two million views. According to The Verge, the video has also appeared as advertisements on X. In responses to comments on the videos, the company said the spokesperson was part of various advertising tests it’s conducting.
In one response from the company’s social-media team, translated from German, Vodafone said: “we’re trying out different styles — AI is so much a part of everyday life now that we’re trying it out in advertising too.”
A spokesperson (AI or otherwise) for Vodafone did not immediately return an email about the AI advertising.
Just last month, transportation company ScotRail reversed a decision to use an AI-generated voice on its trains after complaints.
