Northland’s Liz Wright makes history as Skinny’s AI brand ambassador

Liz Wright, 64, and her digital twin who is the AI-created brand ambassador for Skinny. Photo / Skinny

A Northland woman has made history as the world’s first customer to be digitally cloned.

Liz Wright’s digital twin is the new artificial intelligence (AI) face of Kiwi telecommunications brand Skinny.

“It was the opportunity of a lifetime,” the 64-year-old Bay of Islands resident said. “Leave the gumboots behind and off I go.”

The opportunity landed in Wright’s inbox when she received an email from Skinny searching for its happiest customer.

“I thought, right this will be a bit of fun,” she said.

Wright was selected ahead of hundreds of applications nationwide to become Skinny’s AI-created brand ambassador.

Her clone will be used to deliver campaign messages and “out-of-the-box” advertising that does not need traditional production shoots.

Liz Wright's AI-created digital clone. Photo / Skinny

Wright, a former Telecom engineer, had a reasonable grasp on the technology, helped by her son who had worked in an AI start-up in Australia.

“So I knew possibly more than your average 64-year-old, I’m not saying more than your average 20-year-old,” she said.

“To me, it is just a tool. That’s my take on it.”

Eleven weeks were spent capturing Wright’s voice, facial expressions and personality to bring her digital clone to life.

Parts of the process involved her speaking for three minutes straight over and over, and a full body scan surrounded by cameras.

“They captured all of me, top to tail. That was put into a specialised computer programme and then up comes the me – walking and talking.”

And when Wright first met her digital twin?

“Now I know that I say ‘like’ like all the kids ... you see yourself and you say, ‘oh goodness look at the wrinkles on that old girl’,” she said with a laugh.

“I looked really good. It was really exciting and a bit zany.”

Reactions were mixed when she shared her news with family and friends.

Wright’s son and sister were on board, but she said some friends had questioned her decision.

“But we’re making history,” she said. “Anything that puts New Zealand on the map positively is worth it.”

Wright felt comfortable embarking on the journey because Skinny provided her with its AI principles and standard of ethics, which blew her away.

Research commissioned by InternetNZ last year revealed 72% of New Zealanders are concerned AI will be used for malicious purposes and without regulation.

“But I felt really safe throughout the whole process,” Wright said.

Skinny marketing and data director Matt Bain said the groundbreaking use of AI was not intended to replace humans. Real people were needed to create it.

“This AI-twist production is proof that technology, when paired with human oversight, can create something truly exciting.”

The AI version of Wright will feature in Skinny advertising and front campaigns for the next two years.

She received a lifetime supply of Skinny credit on top of a talent fee.