FKA Twigs Developing Her Own Deepfake to Interact With Fans

FKA Twigs will develop a deepfake AI version of herself to facilitate fan interactions, the musician said on Tuesday.

Twigs, a British singer-songwriter, appeared on Capitol Hill this week to testify in support of regulations controlling AI deepfakes, but added that when well-controlled, the technology can be quite helpful to artists.

“In the past year, I have developed my own deepfake version of myself that is not only trained in my personality but also can use my exact tone of voice to speak many languages,” Twigs said in written testimony reported by Rolling Stone. “I will be engaging my AI twigs later this year to extend my reach and handle my online social media interactions, whilst I continue to focus on my art from the comfort and solace of my studio.”

Twigs read her testimony to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property in support of the NO FAKES (“Nurture Originals, Foster Art and Keep Entertainment Safe”) Act, which would allow people, companies and platforms to be sued for producing or hosting so-called “digital replicas.” In her comments, she referred to herself as a “future-facing artist” who is excited by new technologies that can “be used to express deeper emotions, create fantasy worlds and touch the hearts of many people.”

She went on to specify that the deepfake version of herself is a “highly valuable” tool over which she has control. “What is not acceptable is when my art and my identity can simply be taken by a third party and exploited falsely for their own gain without my consent due to the absence of appropriate legislative control,” she said.

She finished with a call to action, saying it is “vital that as an industry and as legislators we work together to ensure we do all we can to protect our creative and intellectual rights as well as the very basis of who we are. We must get this right … you must get this right … now … before it is too late.”