Bryce Gruber saw a self-tanner ad on TikTok with a woman who looked like her. The woman was rubbing the product on her body.

It was her, but not really. It was a digital version of her.

Gruber said the ad was scary and weird. She told her TikTok followers it was not her, but a robot version of her.

The ad showed a digital Gruber reviewing a self-tanner. She said she had never used the product before.

The real Gruber said she had no relationship with the company selling the product. She did not say what company it was.

Gruber was upset by the ad. She said she had never seen the product before and did not want to use it.

Gruber checked her TikTok settings and found out how much access others had to her digital double.

TikTok has a feature called AI Cast. It lets users create a digital version of themselves for videos.

To create an AI Self, users must set it up on purpose. It is not made from their existing posts.

Mashable talked to Zachary Kizer from TikTok. He explained how to set up an AI Self.

Kizer said users must record themselves and read numbers to verify their identity. They can keep their AI Self private or share it.

AI Cast can put a user's digital version in different scenarios. Users can make videos with their AI Self or with friends.

Gruber said her AI Self settings were set to 'Everyone'. She told users to change it to 'Only You'.

Gruber joked that if her setting was 'Everyone', she would be in a self-tanner ad.

Platforms and advertisers are using synthetic influencers more often.

TikTok has AI advertising tools. Advertisers can make videos with AI avatars.

The technology is advanced. Creators do not need to make an official digital twin for someone to imitate them.

A professor said that with 20 seconds of a person's voice and one photo, you can create a video of them saying anything.

Gruber had a similar problem. Someone used her face and voice to sell jeans.

After finding the self-tanner ad, Gruber discovered that a Chinese company used her face and voice to sell jeans.

Other creators have had similar problems. A guitarist found a TikTok video that copied one of her videos.

A musician found an AI-generated guitar channel that copied his videos. The channel had many subscribers and views.

Mashable reported that AI-generated videos impersonated famous people to promote products.

TikTok said it would look into whether brands can use someone's AI Self for ads.

The company said AI Cast should be used for peer-to-peer content, not ads.

There are rules against fake reviews and testimonials. The Federal Trade Commission has rules about AI advertising.

The FTC said AI avatars are not prohibited, but they can be used to create fake testimonials.

TikTok is testing a feature to help users find accounts using their likeness. Users can upload a photo and verify their ID.

The company is testing strategies to protect AI likeness on the platform.

TikTok is not the only platform dealing with users reacting to control over their likeness.

Meta launched a feature for its image generator that allowed users to @-mention public accounts and use their photos.

The reaction was swift. Users criticized the opt-out approach, and Meta pulled the feature.

Meta said it wanted to provide a creative tool and give users control. But it heard feedback that the feature missed the mark.

The episode raises questions about control over one's likeness. Where does control begin and end?

Gruber has practical advice: be careful with AI stuff. It can happen to anyone.

Topics: Artificial Intelligence, Creators