In this paper we decode virtual people and digital labour within the Higher Education (HE) sector. Virtual people can be produced by motion-capture recordings of human physical movements and speech patterns (to create a virtual twin or clone) or by animating digital imagery. In some cases, human operators write scripts which are then presented by virtual people, but in other cases they are autonomously animated through artificial intelligence programs (Schroeder and Craig, 2021). Our research relates to learning, life and work pedagogy series since virtual people are more than just software programmes embedded in chatbots or digital assistant devices because they have an uncanny resemblance to human beings (Pillai, R. et al., 2023). Instead, their uncanny resemblance to human beings is crafted for commercial purposes to perform their roles, which may displace or replace human labour and social interaction.
The use of virtual people in Higher Education is promoted as offering staff and students benefits such as speed, efficiency and convenience. However, the use of virtual people in such roles raises important questions about privacy, misinformation, and exploitation (Putoni, 2021). Our research seeks to interrogate the implications, opportunities and risks arising from the use of virtual people to perform tasks and services currently performed by human workers such as lecturers, professional and support staff. To do so, we will draw on debates in critical theory surrounding the fourth industrial revolution (Schwab, 2016; 2017) cognitive capitalism, labour studies and creativity (Fuchs, 2021, Johannesen, 2018; Jarret, 2019; Lee 2022).
There are now several synthetic media companies who produce virtual people including Colossyan, Hour One, Rephrase AI, Synthesia, Soul Machines and UneeQ. Notably these synthetic media companies create software that mimics social interaction and makes these technological systems available to public and private sector organisations around the world. Virtual people are already used in HE, for example, Maryville University in the US uses two digital life coaches Mya and Emma to guide new and prospective students (https://magazine.maryville.edu/meet-emma-and-mya/). In addition, Adtalem, a commercial global education provider uses virtual people to create training content for therapists. Synthesia has also produced a video featuring virtual people for Bolton College in the UK about the importance of student attendance (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iho99u1JH_I).
We will also create and evaluate learning and teaching content using the technical walk-through method of data collection and analysis (Light, Burgess and Duguay, 2018). This will involve making field notes, analysing screen shots and critically examining software features (design, layout) and functions (menu options).
Keywords
Artificial sociality, virtual people, digital labour, higher education
ORCID: 
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)