Cloning Yourself with Gemini’s AI Avatar Tool: The Result Was Unnervingly Me
Introduction
It’s a beautiful, balmy afternoon at Dolores Park in San Francisco. I’m singing a birthday song to a prehistoric dinosaur. A cupcake with a pink candle magically appears in my empty hand as I finish the serenade. When I blow out the flame, a calm look of contentment washes over the CGI-esque creature.
How It Works
This beautiful scene was actually generated using one of the new features available in Google’s Gemini app: avatars. These digital recreations are similar to the core features of OpenAI‘s now-defunct Sora app. They’re a digital clone of you that can be inserted into AI videos. Avatars are powered by the company’s new Omni video model, and the feature is only available to subscribers.
My Experience
I pay $20 a month for Google’s AI Pro plan and quickly maxed out Gemini’s usage limits, which reset every 5 hours. I simply asked a few questions and generated two 10-second clips featuring my avatar — before being told to wait until later.
First Impressions
The first glimpse of what Omni can do with my likeness was of me singing to a dino in San Francisco. The content was cringeworthy, with some jumbled moments and nonsensical outfits, but that man in the video was me. I used my fingers to zoom in on its face and really watch the mouth move. The teeth were a bit off, but otherwise it’s Reece, right on down to the chin fat.
Privacy Concerns
Unlike OpenAI, which previously let users decide whether they wanted others to generate AI videos using their likeness, Google only lets adult users make videos with their own avatar. The process involved sitting in a well-lit room with my phone’s camera pointed at my face and reading a string of two-digit numbers.
Further Exploration
My second glimpse was of me surfing under the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of putting me in a wetsuit, I was wearing head-to-toe denim. No shoes on the surfboard, at least, I guess. This AI generation included shots that looked as if they were captured on a GoPro attached to the surfboard.
Discussion
Let’s break down the birthday clip frame by frame to really unpack my feelings here. Full prompt: Generate a video of me singing the happy birthday song to an aging dinosaur at the top of the hill at Dolores Park.
The first second starts with a millennial pause, because even AI Reece has some ingrained habits. What’s most striking initially is the photorealistic setting. Rather than placing my avatar on some oversized hill at a random park, the background of Google’s AI video is remarkably similar to the actual location.
As AI me started to sing, with a less pitchy baritone than I can actually pull off, the first few bars seemed natural. I bounced my hands up and down on the beat like a mini conductor. Then, I stutter on the word “to,” and Gemini cuts to a wider-angle shot as the real chaos begins.
Key Takeaways
- The photorealistic background of Google’s AI video is remarkably similar to the actual location.
- AI Reece, my digital clone, felt more real than when I listen back to a voicemail or rewatch a clip of a fun weekend out.
- Despite errors and stuttering in the clips, these hyperrealized versions of myself were seamless Reece.
Originally published at wired.com. Curated by AI Maestro.
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