CICANT researcher Alexander Gerner, together with Renata Souza Silva and Maria Eunice Quilici Gonzalez, has published a new article analysing the semiotic implications of AI-generated avatars of deceased cultural figures.
Grounded in Charles S. Peirce’s triadic semiotics, the study examines deepfake technology as a form of intersemiotic translation. The analysis focuses on the AI-generated avatar of Elis Regina, created for a 2023 Volkswagen advertising campaign, with particular attention to iconic gestural mimicry and the production of emotional, energetic, and logical interpretants.
By addressing the mediation between human performance and algorithmic reconstruction, the article also discusses the cultural, pragmatic, legal, and ethical consequences of using AI to recreate public figures, contributing to current debates on memory, representation, and responsibility in digital media.
Read the full article here: https://revistas.usp.br/