The Future Is: Digital Twinning
By 2030, we expect a significant portion of people to be flowing between the best of both live and virtual worlds, becoming “double agents” to optimize their healthiest, happiest life.
As we enter this new omniverse existence, we become stronger, more resilient, and freer to fulfill our purpose in life. Digital twinning – the process of making a virtual, digital alter-ego – makes it possible, giving us the freedom to explore new experiences and identities. If you’ve ever said, “I wish I could clone myself” – surprise: You’re about to be able to do just that.
Now: The New Body Doubles
What’s Fresh: Influencers are evolving. Plain old humans are good, but they have limited bandwidth. Now, digitized body doubles can handle their work overflow and populate an alternate universe with famous faces. Genies is an agency that crafts and manages a roster of celeb avatars, including Lil Nas X, Rihanna and JLo. Other pioneering players include Switzerland startup Imverse, which is inventing holographic doubles, and Unreal Engine’s new MetaHuman Creator platform, which allows for the speedy “birth” of 3D human characters.
How it changes the game: Digital twins will reinvent the world of celebrity marketing. Since avatars can be conjured up instantly on any platform, consumers can go anyplace into parallel metaverses that are populated by very famous faces.
3 Action Steps for Brands:
- Plan where a celeb’s digital twin will best meet your consumer: in a video game, on YouTube, by Zoom?
- Reimagine product drops, with virtual stars spreading the word one-to-one.
- Allow consumers to script their own interactions with celebrity avatar doubles.
Now: Your Twin Wins at Social Media Stardom
What’s Fresh: Why stop at having a digital twin? How about triplets, septuplets, or more? While you’re busy IRL, your digital minis can achieve influencer status online. AR filters can enhance their selfies – like those by Ines Alpha, which shimmer and sprout on screen. Everyone can have avatars to channel different personality facets or aspirations. Imagine making your own Lil Miquela (a virtual model with 3 million followers) and gifting her with a digitized Gucci bag, like the ones selling out for thousands of dollars on Roblox. It’s within reach right now.
How it changes the game: You’re making products for – and marketing to – a consumer who lives in the ether…and may have an array of identities.
3 Action Steps for Brands:
- Create digitized versions of your products for avatars to buy and use.
- Become deeply inclusive and aware of intersectionality to serve a new, individualistic generation of digital twins.
- Build boutiques inside the metaverses, or virtual realms, where consumers will congregate.
Next: Your Immortal Avatar
What’s Emerging: Digital twinning maps enough data to understand you at a molecular level and create a virtual clone that never dies. Did you know that artist Salvador Dali lives on at his museum in St. Petersburg, Florida: soccer star Kiyan Prince, despite his death 15 years ago, plays in FIFA 21; and avatar Deepak Chopra bonds one-on-one with his readers? Imagine your personal history, digital life, and surveillance data being decanted into a digital twin who exists forever in the ether. We can also wipe the slate semi-clean and channel our best qualities into a Soul Machines’ “biologically inspired” AI creation that will grow and learn in sync with the latest technology.
How it creates the future: The singularity is here – humanity merges with technology to create a new kind of eternal being.
3 Things to Prepare for:
- Enable your customers to own the data needed to create their immortal twin.
- Pioneer the products and services these code creations need.
- Replace “life-stage marketing” with an approach that embraces a limitless life.
Happenings on Humboldt
Bigger threats are demanding agile, bigger pivots for purpose-driven organizations and modern businesses are an ever-moving, ever-evolving target. To help guide and reinvent the efforts of companies, you have to think like a futurist to transform your business.
Read our latest article by CMO and Chief Futurist, Kim Bates to learn how you can leverage the power of prediction to ensure you’re not left behind.
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