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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Technology
Dan Milmo Global technology editor

AI avatar generator Synthesia does video footage deal with Shutterstock

Screen showing Synthesia app and a selection of avatars and frames, including one with the words Insert Your Title Here.
Synthesia uses human actors to generate digital avatars of people, which are deployed in corporate videos in a range of scenarios. Photograph: Daniel Chetroni/Alamy

A $2bn (£1.6bn) British startup that uses artificial intelligence to generate realistic avatars has struck a licensing deal with the stock footage firm Shutterstock to help develop its technology.

Synthesia will pay the US-based Shutterstock an undisclosed sum to use its library of corporate video footage to train its latest AI model. It expects that incorporating the clips into its model will produce even more realistic expressions, vocal tones and body language from the avatars.

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