Inside the Tech Behind A.I. Instigator & Angela Murray’s Avatar

SPOILER ALERT! This story contains details from Sunday’s episode of Big Brother.

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When Big Brother‘s Angela Murray first encountered her A.I. avatar, she was quick to assure her fellow houseguests that she wasn’t the one speaking or making the eviction nominations.

She was partially correct; the nominations were, in fact, from Quinn Martin, who had won the power to override a Head of Household’s picks earlier in the season. However, the voice and image were definitely Murray’s.

Before the season commenced, all houseguests stood before a camera to answer basic questions. Murray and her housemates didn’t know how these images and voices would be used, assuming it might be for marketing or potential game moments.

In truth, Proto, the company behind the holographic communications platform used on the show, captured these images and voices to create avatars capable of performing any action the Big Brother producers desired, like a deepfake HOH that looked and sounded just like Murray. They could even manipulate these avatars to speak different languages, if needed.

With these captured images and recordings, Proto can create artificial doubles in very short order. For Sunday’s episode, an avatar of Martin was whipped up to entertain viewers as an A.I. Instigator, acting out the devilish plans of Tucker Des Laurier, who had been given a week of newfound power by the American audience.

Martin’s image, much like Murray’s earlier, was “physically projected within the glass” of a life-size box, termed an Epic. It retails for approximately $30,000 and has found applications in retail, hospitals, and universities before making its way to the Big Brother house.

David Nussbaum, the founder and CEO of Proto and a self-described Big Brother superfan, explained, “We were the first in the world to do this type of technology. All you need is any 4K camera—even an iPhone. We have an app on the iPhone so you can put it on a tripod and hit the beam button. It’s like you are having a Zoom call on your side, but you’re appearing like you’re physically in 12 locations at the same time on the other side.”

This technology has gained popularity with educators because it allows them to beam in remotely and deliver guest lectures worldwide.

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Some celebrities have already been captivated by this technology. For instance, Howie Mandel has incorporated the Epic into the set of his “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast, which he films for YouTube. Proto even leases showroom space in Mandel’s industrial building in Van Nuys, where he produces his podcast.

“We recently beamed Howie into the JFK Airport to mess with travelers,” Nussbaum shared.

In addition to Mandel, other celebrities have helped Nussbaum showcase the power of his technology. Visitors to Proto’s showroom are greeted by three Epics, which look like mini-star containers. But the real Camila Cabello is just fine—that’s her avatar in leather boots.

“We have a lot of guardrails in place so you can’t manipulate our content without the approval of the person who the content is being created for,” Nussbaum explained.

Hence, Big Brother houseguests don’t have to worry about their images being misused after the game. “All the content will be destroyed,” he promised, emphasizing that it’s solely for entertainment. “This isn’t A.I. It’s Big Brother A.I.”

When discussing the future of his company, Nussbaum highlighted that his business model focuses on enterprise, commercial, and retail applications. However, he hopes Hollywood will recognize the potential of his hologram technology. Proto’s role in Big Brother marks its first major entry into television.

“When it comes to Hollywood, I think the future really lies in the hands of the artists, the filmmakers,” Nussbaum said. “This is just a tool to allow them to do more things. Before the internet, people were afraid of it. Before the smartphone, people were used to going into their kitchen and using the phone on the wall. This is not something to be nervous about. This is something to appreciate and learn about. It’s used as a creative tool, not a replacement for anything.”

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