"150 Idols and Actors Already Registered" Digital DNA with an Invisible "Mark" Protects Portrait Rights [AI Content: The Bright and Dark Sides] 2

[Field Report] Inside a Digital DNA Data Capture Site
Protecting Digital Likeness Rights and Generating IP Revenue in One Go
Data for 200+ People to Be Captured by Year-End... Aim to Establish a National Standard

Editor's NoteAI actors are being created without anyone standing in front of a camera, while influencers who do not exist in real life are gaining attention on social media. As AI lowers the barriers to content production, it has opened up new opportunities for small-scale creators. While an environment is taking shape in which content can be produced without specialized equipment or a large budget, the risk of using other people's faces, voices and works without permission has also grown. The Asia Business Daily examines the changes AI is bringing to the content market and explores how the potential of technology can coexist with people's rights.

"When you hear 'Action,' perform the expressions and lines in the prompt. We will record your facial wrinkles and voice for 30 seconds."

Actor Yoo Jiwang, 47, performs in the "Light Cage" to build his digital DNA at the Korea Digital DNA Center in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Lee Eunseo.

On October 12, at the Korea Digital DNA Center (KDDC) in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, actor Yoo Jiwang, 47, began performing inside the "Light Cage," an igloo-shaped filming space surrounded by 40 cameras and lighting equipment. He closed and opened one eye, opened his mouth and furrowed his brow. He delivered lines while moving through a range of emotions every 30 seconds, from cheering to despair and welling up with tears.

Cameras and microphones surrounding the actor at 270 degrees were capturing the wrinkles and expressions on his face, as well as his voice, to create three-dimensional (3D) data. The 3D data is rendered using Gaussian splatting, a technology that preserves light and texture, to maintain the consistency of the actor's face and recreate his appearance as AI-generated digital video.

In a space beside the Light Cage, the actor was also being filmed from head to toe with a DSLR camera to capture additional details, such as his body proportions and skin tone. The data, created over three hours, is registered as 200 gigabytes (GB) of "digital DNA" on a storage device (DAS) in KDDC's closed-network server. Digital DNA, embedded with an invisible watermark, is used to recreate an actor's likeness in dramas, music videos, advertisements and other content.

Digital DNA: Building a Production Ecosystem That Boosts Productivity and Protects Rights

"Is there a way to boost productivity in content production while protecting human rights?" KDDC is seeking an answer to this question, which has spread throughout the content industry, by building digital DNA.

Digital DNA is data collected from an actor's face, expressions, voice and physical characteristics to recreate them in a digital space as they appear in real life. KDDC captures, builds and manages this data, and, with the individual's permission, connects it to AI content production for dramas, music videos, advertisements and other formats.

A KDDC representative explained, "Our goal is to ensure that various forms of intellectual property (IP) can be used safely and legally in AI content and expanded upon. Digital DNA serves both as a benchmark for determining whether a work has been used without permission and as a business asset that enables licensing, approval and revenue sharing."

The current legal framework does not recognize the concept of digital portrait rights. Legal interpretations focus on acts of filming and publication, while the standards for applying the law to digital portraits created using AI remain unclear. In this context, digital DNA is helping to build a healthy AI content ecosystem.

A Shorts series created by Jo Bin of Norazo using digital DNA, set to the song "I'll Live." Courtesy of KDDC.

By registering their digital DNA, actors can control how their likeness is used in AI-generated content and receive compensation for its use. Producers, in turn, can obtain actors' permission to use the data and reduce production time and costs. Yoo Jiwang said, "I looked for a studio capable of producing AI videos in case I need an image of myself from when I was younger. I want to prepare for changes in content production as AI use becomes more widespread while also protecting my digital portrait rights."

The idol group ASC2NT has used its registered digital DNA in music video production. The approach combines the artists' 3D data with a universe created using generative AI. Jo Bin of the group Norazo also used digital DNA to produce an AI Shorts series set to the song "I'll Live."

A series of Shorts created by Norazo's Jo Bin using Digital DNA to accompany the song "I'll Live." Provided by KDDC.

A KDDC representative explained, "In the past, scaling up content production required substantial production budgets. But digital DNA and generative AI have lowered the cost barrier, enabling small and midsize agencies and even solo artists to create high-quality content."

KDDC plans to expand the foundation for protecting and using digital portrait rights by securing data from more artists. It currently has digital DNA profiles for 150 people and plans to secure profiles for more than 200 by the end of the year. A KDDC representative said, "After recently signing a business agreement with the Korea Broadcasting Actors Union, 300 entertainers applied to register their data within a week. Our goal is to register and certify the data we have accumulated as standardized source data through a nationally accredited process."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.