Creating AI Twins: How POP Creative Studio is Shaping a New Production Model

Working with AI Twins: How POP Creative Studio is Shaping a New Production Model

AI has quickly moved from novelty to necessity in the advertising and production world. As agencies and brands face compressed timelines and increased budget scrutiny, they require smarter ways to create high-quality visual content at scale.

The emerging solution is the "AI Twin” digital counterparts of real, licensed talent that can be directed, styled, and adapted in ways traditional shoots cannot accommodate. For creatives, this is not just a tech trend but a fundamental shift in how campaigns can be conceived, tested, and executed.

POP Creative Studio, known for their deep expertise in CGI, visual effects, and creative technology, developed ‘POPstars’', a workflow that blends traditional casting with advanced AI and CGI pipelines. 

POPstars combines: Real Talent + Real Patients + Clear Licensing + Walled Garden + Cutting Edge Technology

To understand this powerful hybrid approach, we spoke with POP about the essentials of AI Twins and where this technology fits into the future of production.

Let’s start simple. What is an AI Twin? What is POPstars?

An AI twin is a digital version of a real, consenting person. It’s created from reference captures of that individual and trained so we can generate images of them in different scenarios. The key point is that this is based on real talent, not fully synthetic people. That makes a big difference legally, ethically, and creatively.

POPstars is Pop Creative Studios' branded AI Twin technology and workflow. This offering expands creative possibilities while maintaining accountability and creative intent. The workflow acts as a content engine that creates variables, giving creative teams production-ready control, flexibility, and creative reiteration, all while addressing critical production needs like cost, speed, and risk management.

How does the process compare to a normal casting workflow?

It actually follows a very familiar structure. We still work with model agencies, we still cast based on a brief, and the talent signs usage agreements and releases just like a traditional shoot. They are compensated and their usage is clearly defined by the project. From a producer’s perspective, it feels recognizable. The difference is that once the AI Twin is trained, we can explore far more variations without needing to reconvene a full shoot

What is the benefit of using an AI Twin compared to a fully synthetic AI talent?

It lowers the risk and brings accountability. With fully synthetic talent, there’s always the possibility someone claims resemblance or misuse. With AI Twins, you have a real person, a real contract, and clear consent; it’s easier to indemnify and safer for clients. Brands tend to feel more comfortable knowing the likeness is licensed and approved.

What kind of flexibility does this unlock creatively?

The creative flexibility unlocked by AI Twins is vast. We can explore a multitude of changes, including wardrobe, hair styling, poses, and even details like tattoos. This allows us to rapidly test different looks or brand color palettes. We can safely and rapidly explore drastic changes such as haircuts without touching a model's hair. Furthermore, we can easily adapt imagery for different markets by adjusting wardrobe or cultural cues. We can also replace talent in existing imagery (i.e. stock or a previous campaign), adapt a master shoot with different ethnicities/localisation, update wardrobe and fashion trends on existing photography, and use them as extras, background people and supporting cast.

How does CGI fit into your AI Twin workflow?

CGI gives us even more control. We can pose digital mannequins, define interactions, and then apply wardrobe and styling in a very controlled way. It’s not a linear workflow. You can swap elements in and out at almost any stage. That hybrid CGI and AI approach is where things get really powerful.

Are AI Twins only for previsualization, or full campaigns too?

They can absolutely be used for full production. The limitation is often contractual, not technical. Some holding companies restrict which AI tools can be used. But outside of those constraints, we can take AI Twins all the way through to final imagery.

Where are you seeing the most interest from clients?

We’re also hearing from many clients that the pressure to lower costs and integrate AI is real and immediate so we are seeing interest in all categories. But, healthcare and hospitality are two areas showing increased interest. 

Healthcare can benefit not only because reducing physical shoots can significantly reduce costs and logistics, it can also create digital talent from real patients who may be unable to travel or be on set for long periods. This ensures authentic representation and prioritizes their well-being. With AI twins, you also have the flexibility to explore disease states that need representation, such as hair loss, weight gain or loss, skin changes, or changes in body shapes.

Hospitality brands often need high volumes of lifestyle imagery that must be localized by region or season, which means they need to adjust the wardrobe and locations. An AI Twin makes this easy, allowing a hotel, for example, to place varied talent in multiple locations on their properties.

What’s next for POP in this space?

We’re actively expanding our AI Twin library across different regions and backgrounds so casting feels authentic and representative. We’re also continuing to refine our proprietary workflows so the process becomes smoother and more powerful. Right now, it’s about educating the market and showing what’s possible.