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AI Santa is a new trend that uses artificial intelligence(AI) to create personalized audio and video messages from Santa Claus. Users can request voice messages or video messages from Santa or even chat with him directly. Tech companies are using advanced AI models and moderation controls to make sure their AI Santas are realistic, friendly, and appropriate.
A New Way to Connect with Santa Claus
Many people love to connect with Santa Claus during the holiday season, whether it is by writing letters, visiting malls, or watching movies. But this year, there is a new way to interact with Santa: AI Santa.
AI Santa is a term that refers to artificial intelligence applications that generate user-prompted audio and video clips of Santa. Users can create voice messages or video messages from Santa or, in some cases, chat with him directly. It can answer questions, tell jokes, give compliments, and wish you happy holidays.
It is not a new concept, as some tech companies have had versions of AI Santa in past years. However, they said the advances in generative AI during 2023 have made this year’s AI Santas more lifelike than ever. And real-life Santas are taking note.
“There is something magical there,” said Kylan Gibbs, co-founder and chief product officer of Inworld AI, which develops artificial intelligence-driven characters for video games and other applications.
How Tech Companies are Making AI Santa More Realistic
One of the challenges of creating AI Santa is to make him look and sound like the real Santa. Different tech companies have different approaches to achieving this goal.
For example, Inworld AI worked with Niantic, the videogame company behind the viral Pokémon Go phenomenon, to create an augmented reality experience called “Ask Santa Anything.” In it, a miniature Santa “flies” onto phone screens to answer questions on topics such as what he likes for dinner (cookies) and what his favorite color is (red, like his jolly suit), said Brynne Henn, product marketing lead, AR Developer Platform at Niantic.
Santa’s look draws inspiration from the 1964’s stop-motion Christmas classic, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” Henn said. As far as his brain, Gibbs said Inworld leveraged several AI models as part of its character creation engine. It trained Santa on North Pole knowledge (like the names of his reindeer) and created an emotional profile for him, including his personality (he’s jolly, optimistic and says “ho, ho, ho” a lot); motivations (to spread joy around Christmas); and flaws (he loves Christmas too much).
Another example is Podcastle, an audio production company whose AI platform transforms inputted text into a variety of voices for podcasts and marketing videos. Podcastle got into the holiday spirit with its own AI-enabled Santa voice, inspired by the husky baritone of Santa in “Miracle on 34th Street,” said content marketing manager Joe Towner.
Podcastle’s Santa voice was used by Florida’s Pinellas Park Police Department for a series of videos about public safety during the holidays. Sgt. Alexander Matson said he found the tool online after he was asked to narrate the videos himself, with mixed results. “They were hoping I would do a better Santa impression, but I just couldn’t,” Matson said.
A third example is Synthesia, an AI video creation platform that allowed users to create personalized video messages from an AI-rendered Santa for the third year in a row. Parents generate videos for their children and companies are using it for content such as training or onboarding videos, said co-founder and Chief Executive Victor Riparbelli.
How Tech Companies are Making AI Santa More Safe
Another challenge of creating AI Santa is to make sure he does not say or do anything inappropriate or offensive. Tech companies are using moderation controls to make sure their AI Santas don’t end up on the naughty list.
For instance, Inworld’s Santa had strict safety controls so he’ll dodge questions on hot-button topics like politics, Henn said. Synthesia’s Santa had automated and human moderation systems to prevent him from pitching cryptocurrency scams, Riparbelli said.
Tech companies are also careful not to infringe on the rights and roles of real-life Santas, who provide Santa Claus entertainers to malls and events. Mitch Allen, founder, and head elf at Hire Santa, said he was not worried about it replacing human workers.
True, this year’s flood of AI Santas may take some burden off his team, he said. The company is even considering creating its own AI Santa in the coming years.
“That being said, I don’t think that that’s going to change the tradition and the desire of parents to have a one-on-one in-person visit with Santa,” Allen said, “I can’t imagine a world where we don’t have Santas in person.”
This is how it works:
- In the web browser on your phone, navigate to www.asksanta.app.
- Step outside and hold your phone up to the sky.
- If you ring Santa’s bell, he will beam down to you, transforming your surroundings into a winter wonderland.
- Engage Santa in a conversation! Say or type a question and allow him to respond. You could, for example, ask Santa, “How do you manage to visit so many houses in one night?” How do you spend your vacations? What would be your favorite dance move if you had to choose one?”
- Santa will use artificial intelligence to generate personalized, real-time responses.
