AI cloning opens new monetisation route for celebrities, creators

Mumbai: Artificial intelligence is opening a new monetisation avenue for film stars, cricketers and digital creators, allowing them to license AI-generated versions of their faces and voices for commercial use without being physically present for every production.

For celebrities, this means new revenue from advertising campaigns, branded entertainment and digital content. For emerging creators, identity licensing could provide an additional income stream alongside brand partnerships and platform monetisation.

India's celebrity endorsement market is estimated at ₹3,000 crore, while its influencer marketing sector is projected at ₹3,500 crore, according to industry estimates. Cricketers Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill are among the early adopters of AI cloning.


However, as generative AI makes it easier to replicate faces and voices, the commercial opportunity raises concerns over consent, unauthorised use and control of digital identities.

Studio Blo's FAIMOUS enables celebrities to create, control and license their AI clones, while Sparkonomy is launching the Open Creator Graph (OCG), an open infrastructure that allows creators to establish their identities and specify how AI systems can use their content and likeness.

With AI cloning, brands are no longer limited to celebrity shoots for ad campaigns. They can create images and videos of celebrities in different locations and situations to suit their creative briefs, said Dipankar Mukherjee, cofounder of Studio Blo.

"However, the much bigger benefit of cloning celebrities is what it unlocks in terms of branded content," he said. "The future belongs to monetisation of consent," he said. Sparkonomy is targeting a broader creator base. Cofounder Guneet Singh said AI could allow creators to license or lease their identities for content production, generating additional income alongside brand partnerships and sales commissions.