An era has arrived in China where people can easily earn income by licensing their faces for AI-generated stories, advertisements, and games. In China, platforms that connect ordinary people with AI content creators have become increasingly trendy. What was once exclusive to the film industry is now accessible to the general public through mainstream platforms, allowing anyone to easily sell their image rights.
Depending on how the face-licensing rights are used, earnings can range from Chinese Yuan 50 (approximately $7) to Yuan 99,999 (approximately $15,000). For example, one bank employee earned nearly Yuan 2,500 (approximately $370) within just three days after an advertising company purchased his face seven times. On platforms like Yuanxiang Xinsheng, which launched in May, users can now easily create their own digital avatar profiles immediately after opening an account.
The most interesting aspect is that users can set their own terms for where their faces can be used. A 34-year-old man, for instance, permitted his face to be used only in romantic and family-oriented stories, while completely restricting it from horror and adult content. Some people have adopted a "don't use it for free, pay if you want" approach on these platforms to protect themselves from the risk of their faces being stolen and misused on the internet.
Ref: South China Morning Post
