The Five Most Key Takeaways from This Blog
- Innovations in generative A.I. have made it easier to create chatbots in the guise of a real person.
- The latest example of this is Rebind Publishing, which offers the first “A.I. reading experience”.
- This company pays figures established in their respective field (mostly fiction and nonfiction writers of name) to lend their image and insights about a particular book.
- The difference-maker is that the “data” here is not some generic book summary filched from Shmoop University Inc., Cliff’s Notes, et al., but rather 20 hours’ worth of interviews with the very figures lending their images and insights.
- For business owners, this can point the way to a new way of approaching celebrity endorsements and company spokespeople in the age of generative A.I.
A New Kind of Name, Image, Likeness Deal
So here is the thing: we as a society are going to need to figure out just where we stand on the chatbots-in-the-guise-of-real-people thing.
Are we comfortable with it, or are we uncomfy with the whole premise?
Well, anyone with a stake, financial or otherwise, in that question will get some interesting answers
Rebinding Publishing got a write-up in the New York Times that detailed the whole premise, which we more or less have covered in the Key Takeaways section that began this piece.
If you go to the company’s website and watch its marketing video, you will see one of its founders, a philosophy professor (this writer, being a philosophy minor back in college, could have told you this just by listening to the cofounder’s measured, steady voice and way of speaking that is pretty common and characteristic of pro philosophers).
This prof will run down the key elements of this product, which could potentially portend the coming unforeseen levels to be reached in our parasocial relationships with established figures. (Is it really fair to call John Banville a “celebrity”? The writer of this blog intends no shade toward this award-winning Irish novelist and screenwriter. It’s only that John Banville, like many on the Rebind roster, is the kind of notable cultural figure whose name would likely ring only a few bells at a gathering mostly comprised of people who do not follow e.g. who wins the Booker prize each year. Whereas most people who live above rocks in media-saturated countries know who Brad Pitt, celebrity, is.)
What matters here is how individualized these company spokespeople (“rebinders”) seem to be for the target audience. Presuming this company finds a degree of success, you don’t need Brad Pitt to be the face of your chatbot–you need to know your audience.
Extending The Lesson Beyond the Reading Chair and Into Business
Business owners can glean several lessons from using celebrity endorsement and company spokespeople in the age of A.I. One key takeaway is that partnerships with known cultural figures were not superficial. The chatbots that readers interact with are based on data from the name-image-likeness lender, making the responses plausible and reflective of what the endorser might say in real life.
A critical aspect is that generative A.I. chatbots for each endorser are designed with narrow scopes and restrictions to prevent responses that are offensive, weird, or nonsensical. However, the potential for hallucination remains an issue, as chatbots are prone to errors, leading to possible reticence from potential endorsers concerned about inaccurate responses. This could limit endorsements to those less worried about such risks or who are (unethically) assured their chatbot won’t hallucinate.
This writer has already covered the data-culling method above, but wants to highlight something additional about the audience-targeting.
The whole “celebrity” endorsement thing here, of course, does not need to be a widely known celebrity. The word “individualized” was used above in this blog, but it is a key word. Our media experiences are on track to become much more individualized and personalized, so the target audience of Rebinder are likely to consider the Rebinders worthy of a chatbot conversation.
The primary lesson for other companies is to identify endorsers who their target audience respects, such as industry experts. This tailored approach can enhance engagement and credibility, ensuring the endorsements resonate well with the intended audience.
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