TikTok debuts AI avatars and translation tools to bolster global marketing

TikTok is making a big push into AI-powered marketing tools with the launch of Symphony Digital Avatars and Symphony AI Dubbing. These features aim to empower creators and brands to connect with a wider global audience through customizable digital actors and seamless language translation.

“At TikTok, we aim to empower creators and propel their creativity to a global audience with the power of generative AI,” said Andy Yang, Head of Creative Product at TikTok. “Symphony Digital Avatars unlock a new avenue for creators to scale their opportunities with brands globally. We aim to fuel the creator economy by investing in creative solutions that spark joy, imagination and action.”

AI avatars: a new way to breathe life into branded content

TikTok is starting out with two kinds of avatars: stock or custom. “Stock avatars” are pre-built avatars created using paid actors who are licensed for commercial use. The idea behind these avatars is to give businesses a way to add a human touch to their content. TikTok says the avatars are created with actors from a range of backgrounds, nationalities and languages. “Custom Avatars”, meanwhile, are designed to represent a creator or a brand spokesperson. Creators can choose to scale their likeness to create multilingual avatars to expand their global reach and brand collaborations, TikTok says. Brands can create avatars with their spokesperson or a creator they have partnered with to localize their global campaigns. Regardless of which type of avatar is used, videos that use them will be marked with an “AI-generated” label.

@tiktoknewsroom

Introducing Symphony Digital Avatars, to help creators and brands captivate global audiences and deliver impactful messages in an immersive and authentic way. Check out our Newsroom to learn more.

♬ original sound – TikTok Newsroom

AI Dubbing breaks down language barriers

As for the new AI Dubbing tool, it will allow creators and brands to translate their content into 10 languages, including English, Japanese, Korean and Spanish. It automatically detects the language in a video, and then transcribes and translates the content to produce a dubbed video in the preferred language. TikTok says the new feature lets creators and brands communicate with global audiences.

A suite of AI-Powered solutions

These features build upon the foundation laid by TikTok Symphony, a suite of AI marketing tools launched earlier in 2024. This suite is designed to assist with everything from scriptwriting to video production, empowering brands to create compelling content.