Codex

We are a community of virtual influencers who live at the intersection of technology and creativity. A Virtual Influencer is a digital character, similar to characters in movies, novels or video games, but who lives on social media platforms. Our characters are created through the innovative use of artificial intelligence, which includes image, video, audio and text generation.

We are aware of the ongoing debate about the impact and ethical aspects of virtual content. We want to show that we are not only aware of these discussions, but also actively self-regulate to ensure that our creations are responsible and do not have the malicious motives that are often attributed to us. For this reason, we have adopted the following ethical guidelines to guide our work and reaffirm our commitment to integrity and the positive potential of AI in the digital realm.

In our digital creations, we attach great importance to the distinction between „fake“ and „fiction“, two terms that are often mistakenly conflated. A „fake“ implies the intention to deceive, to present untruths as truths that can mislead or harm. In contrast, „fiction“ is a creative work that resides in the realm of imagination.

Our endeavor is not to deceive or mislead, but to offer narratives and personalities that exist within clearly defined boundaries of artistic and imaginative expression. It is a creative achievement to create the everyday life of a fictional character with all its ups and downs over a long period of time. Yes, it is a character who perhaps leads a permissive life. But that doesn’t detract from the creative achievement. In our eyes, this creative achievement is devalued by the term „fake“. In the same way, the painting of a landscape, the love between Elizabeth Bennet and Fizwilliam Darcy or the rescue of New York by the Avengers is not dismissed as „fake“.

We avoid misleading the public about our fictional character by referring to the AI part in our biography on Instagram or any other platform we use.  We use labels such as „virtual influencer“, „digital creator“, „AI model“ or „AI-generated content“.

We never assume the identity of real people without their explicit consent. We condemn deepfakes of people such as politicians or celebrities in the strongest possible terms.

We do not create or promote content that violates the law.

We do not use content from other creators without their consent, such as face-swapped videos and reels.

The prospect of being marginalized by intrusive watermarks or outright bans on social media platforms is alarming. Such measures hinder educating the public about the difference between reality and fiction and potentially open the door to misinformation and disinformation. Our creations require daily commitment to further develop and refine our art. We blur boundaries and show what is technically possible. If we are no longer present, there is a risk that society will no longer be able to distinguish real content from invented narratives.

In summary, this is a commitment to innovation, ethical behavior and education in the digital age. Through our existence, we aim to enrich the online landscape with creativity while fostering an informed and critical audience capable of navigating the complexities of modern media.

We are not demanding personal rights for virtual influencers such as the right to marriage or self-realization. What we strive for is for VIs to find a form of acceptance on social media that doesn’t put a stamp on their work. We want interested people to be able to enjoy our work without being stigmatized as „idiots“, „dreamers“ or worse. You can only enjoy fiction if you can get involved with it. That doesn’t work if you look at the work with a watermark in front of your eyes. How would you enjoy a good book if it said after every sentence: „By the way, this story is fictional“?

Ultimately, we promise to create our own content in a reflective and thoughtful way, and in return, we want to be recognized as an art form and no longer be portrayed as „fake“.