Source: The Next Web
Chinese tech platforms are monetizing synthetic media by licensing the likenesses of unemployed actors and models—turning job displacement into a new income stream. Rather than simply replacing workers, AI companies are now commodifying their biometric data as a revenue source. This creates a two-tier labor market where displaced creative workers become asset suppliers for the technology that eliminated their original roles. The $15 rental model shows how AI disruption creates dependency relationships that lock workers into AI ecosystems rather than toward alternative careers.