London-based artificial intelligence start-up Synthesia has announced an industry-first initiative to offer company stock to the actors whose likenesses are used to create its hyper-realistic AI avatars. The move, aimed at compensating contributors beyond traditional cash payments, marks a significant shift in how workers in the creative industries are rewarded for their role in advancing AI technology.
Synthesia, which reached a $2.1 billion valuation this year, revealed on Tuesday that it is establishing a pool of company shares currently valued at $1 million. These shares will be distributed to actors whose digital avatars are among the most popular on its platform. While the actors already receive cash compensation for a day’s work licensing their image and voice, the company’s CEO, Victor Riparbelli, emphasized that they also play an integral role in shaping the company’s identity.
“Everyone who works at Synthesia has shares in the company,” Riparbelli said. “Ultimately, the actors are also employees to some extent.”
The initiative seeks to address concerns raised by actors, musicians, and other creatives who argue they are often undercompensated when their work is used to train AI models. Unlike typical one-off licensing fees that give AI companies perpetual rights to an individual’s likeness, Synthesia allows actors to opt out at any time.
The Financial Times, which first reported on the initiative, noted that Synthesia has previously faced criticism from actors’ union Equity for its role in creating AI-generated avatars that were allegedly used to spread political propaganda. In 2023, some of the company’s synthetic likenesses were linked to content supporting the Chinese and Venezuelan governments. In response, Synthesia has since banned those clients and implemented stricter content-moderation policies.
Henry Ajder, an expert in generative AI and deepfakes, acknowledged that the new share-based compensation model “recognises the financial and reputational significance for actors licensing their synthetic likeness.” However, he cautioned that no AI system is entirely safe from misuse.
“Actors need to be aware of this when considering how their synthetic likeness might appear in the world outside of their immediate control and whether the potential risk, however small, is something they are willing to accept,” Ajder said.
Synthesia’s move comes as major AI firms like OpenAI strike multimillion-dollar licensing deals with media organizations, while simultaneously facing lawsuits over alleged copyright violations. By offering equity to actors, Synthesia is setting a precedent in AI ethics, though the long-term implications for the industry remain to be seen.
