The company Soul Machines introduced “Digital Marilyn”, their latest AI chatbot that imitates the way Marilyn Monroe looks and talks. The company calls it “Biological AI-powered Digital People” and unveiled the AI on Friday in partnership with ABG (Authentic Brands Group).
ABG is the company that owns the rights to Marilyn's likeness and they allowed Soul machines to create a “hyper-real” AI. The bot can hold up to a 20-minute conversation and is powered by GPT 3.5.
This AI likeness bots comes in the age of much controversy over the matter, with the concern of AI involvement in films being a major talking point in the SAG-AFTRA strikes. The actors' union raised concerns over companies using their likenesses without consent and using scans of dead actors for their projects.
Marlyn Monroe’s estate was left to Lee Stratesberg, an American theatre director and her acting teacher, and then to his 2nd wife Anna after his demise. Monroe’s IP was sold by Anna to ABG for around $20 million. ABG also owns rights to other icons such as Elvis Presley as well as living celebrities like Shaq
CEO and co-founder of Soul Machines said in a statement, “Digital Marilyn showcases our Biological AI, bringing an iconic personality to life through engaging dialogues and emotional intelligence. It’s more than nostalgia; it’s a glimpse into the future of immersive interactions.”
While Soul Machines pretend to have created a very advanced technology no one can help but feel weirded out over the whole matter.
Monroe becomes the first dead celebrity and woman to be a part of the company's likeness chatbot catalogues. All other celebrities like Mark Tuan and Francis Ngannou have themselves consented to the use of their likeness and are most probably making money out of it.
Monroe, one of the biggest stars in cinema history, has remained a controversial figure throughout her life, but she made her own choices and stood by them. However, in 2024, a company like Soul Machines celebrates International Women’s Day by unveiling a Monroe bot 62 years after her death, pretending to know how one of Hollywood's greatest icons would respond to small talk today.