Trendjacking or trouble? Brands navigate the fine line amid the 'AI doll' craze

Following the controversial "Ghiblification" of personal images, another AI trend has taken over social media. This time, users are digitalising their identities into the form of an AI doll. The process is simple, users have to upload an image of themselves into an AI platform such as ChatGPT and include written prompts to explain how they want the generated image to look. The AI platform would then unveil a doll-like image of the user, along with various items that match the description from the prompts given. 

Many brands across the region have since hopped onto the viral trend, including insurance company Prudential Singapore, who generated two AI dolls of its financial representatives. Similarly, Toast Box Singapore shared a digitalised version of its "kopi ('coffee') master" pouring coffee from its doll pack. Across the border, Grab Malaysia introduced an AI doll version of one of its riders.

While the trend is primarily a fun and creative way for consumers to engage with technology, the rapid adoption by brands comes as a growing concern around brand control and intellectual property. In fact, as AI becomes capable of mimicking brand voices, aesthetics, and even generating convincing personas, the risk of misrepresentation or identity dilution becomes increasingly real.

Don't miss: Is the latest 'Ghibli' trend a leap for OpenAI's facial recognition capability?

"When users can easily generate images that mimic established brand aesthetics such as Mattel's Barbie, we're entering territory where brand identity becomes increasingly difficult to regulate," said Lierence Li, managing director of Market Hubs in a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.

Similarly, Nathan Petralia, former managing director of Merkle Hong Kong said the trend is a fun way for brands to tap into pop culture but comes with risks around data privacy and intellectual property, offering creative engagement opportunities but requires thoughtful handling.

Interestingly, Guo-You Chew, managing director, APAC, Tommy, offers a different opinion. "The AI doll trend serves as a middle ground to still exhibit the image generation capabilities of AI tools without encroaching on beloved IPs and sailing too close to the wind of copyright infringements," said Chew. 

Trend jacking vs Safeguarding

To participate in such a trend, speed is essential. The recent "Ghiblification" trend lasted up to two weeks. Similarly, the AI doll trend will likely come and go within the same window before a new trend takes its place. "What's more important for brands from a trend-jacking POV is that their teams are set up to respond accordingly. Even today I would say we're on the tail end of the trend," explained Chew. 

In addition, brands need to consider if the trend would resonate with its audience and if its relevant to the brand. For example, brands that have a commitment to environmental sustainability should consider the sheer amount of energy usage it takes to create these images on OpenAI, added Chew. 

But what happens if a consumer - and not the brand itself - creates an AI-generated doll of a brand? To that, Chew said that brands should be receptive if their audiences do the same. This is especially if the brand has paved the way by doing so themselves. 

"If consumers are creating positive representations that extend brand affinity, the wisest approach may be to acknowledge and even amplify this organic engagement. For potentially problematic creations, a measured response that addresses concerns without appearing heavy-handed is crucial," said Chew. 

In tandem, Dominique Rose Van-Winther, chief AI evangelist, Final Upgrade said monitoring is essential, with the visibility of real-time tracking on keywords, hashtags, and brand mentions allowing brands to scale the good and respond to the risky. 

"Once your brand enters the trend, the community can run with it in unexpected directions… That’s a good thing, but only if you know what’s happening" she added. 

As such, before jumping into such a trend, brands should conduct a thorough risk assessment, understanding that once they participate, they may inadvertently signal approval for all kinds of interpretations of their visual identity, said Li.

Moving forward, brands need to be vigilant about how their logos, trademarks and distinctive visual elements might be incorporated into user-generated AI content.

"As we're seeing, users or even competitors could potentially abuse brand assets by incorporating them into inappropriate or off-brand contexts. This is particularly concerning since these images can spread rapidly across social platforms," added Li.

The key to tackling the trend is balancing creative freedom with brand protection, embracing fan enthusiasm while maintaining appropriate boundaries, said Petralia. "Brands that approach this trend thoughtfully can benefit from the viral momentum while minimising risks," he added.

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