Overview
- Los Angeles startup 2Wai released an iOS beta on November 11 that generates video “HoloAvatars” from roughly three minutes of recorded footage, audio, and text.
- Co‑founder Calum Worthy’s promo on X amassed more than 22 million views, with critics calling the concept “demonic,” “nightmare fuel,” and comparing it to Black Mirror.
- The company markets lifelike avatars that “look and talk like you” and touts on‑device processing via a proprietary “FedBrain,” with real‑time chats in over 40 languages.
- Ethicists and legal analysts highlight consent gaps, weak post‑mortem privacy protections, ownership disputes over digital replicas, and potential psychological harm.
- 2Wai says the free beta will shift to subscriptions, reports $5 million in pre‑seed funding and work with British Telecom and IBM, and lists Android as coming soon; no regulatory action has been reported.