Saturday Trendspotting: AI avatars and solar energy

Welcome back, Superhuman

Having a clone of yourself used to be the stuff of sci-fi. While we’re still a long way from having clones of ourselves in the physical world, digital clones are here in the form of AI-generated video avatars — and they’re opening up all kinds of exciting possibilities. It’s time to find your next big idea!

P.S. The Saturday Trendspotting Special is designed to help you find the next big idea, trend, or opportunity that you can leverage to get ahead at work or start your own thing. Regular AI and Tech updates will resume as usual on Monday.

AI AVATARS

AI video avatars are a $270B opportunity that anyone can tap into for work and side hustles

The Trend: Imagine hundreds (or thousands) of different versions of yourself working on your behalf at any given time. Now, imagine all of these versions look and sound just like you. I thought AI-generated video avatars were overhyped, but I recently spent a few hours creating one of myself, and it had everyone at the office fooled. Check out this short clip of me to see for yourself.

And this isn’t just a gimmick. I’ve been digging into this space for the last couple of months and people are using avatars to do some seriously cool things — from scaling outbound sales with personalized AI videos to content creators making thousands from virtual creators.

All of this is surprisingly simple. In most cases, all you need to do is provide a short 2-minute clip of your face and voice and once you’re set up you can create lifelike audio and video clips with simple text prompts in seconds.

The Opportunity: AI avatar platforms like Synthesia and HeyGen are already unlocking a range of valuable use cases in the office. Sales teams are now sending personalized videos at scale to generate leads. HR departments are using AI to onboard and train new employees. And marketers are turning to AI avatars to create high-converting ads.

If you’re looking to get a taste of AI avatars and use them at work (or start your own side hustle) here are a few promising places you can start:

• Content Creation and Marketing: Probably the most obvious opportunities in the space. Creators are using AI avatars to make content across a range of different niches using tools like Arcads to scale marketing with video avatars. And virtual influencers are slowly becoming the next big thing in marketing, with some research claiming that the market for them will be worth over $8Bn this year. Instagram is flooded with AI-generated influencers like Lil Miquela and Kenzi Layli, who are racking up millions of followers across platforms.

• Customized AI Avatar Solutions: Companies need tailored, personalized avatars for individuals or brands across virtual meetings, social media, and marketing campaigns. You can tap into specific business niches by either creating an app for them or using existing AI avatar generators to craft tailored avatars that meet clients' branding and communication needs.

• Integration Services: AI avatars are pretty much useless if companies can’t integrate them into existing workflows like customer service chatbots, virtual training programs, or e-commerce platforms. The opportunity: create tools or plugins that help businesses seamlessly embed AI avatars into these systems. You could also offer micro-consulting services on the side to make sure the avatar transition goes smoothly without a hitch.

But be careful. AI avatars tend to dip into many ethical and legal implications, particularly regarding consent, representation, and intellectual property. Meta is currently facing tons of backlash for allowing AI-generated accounts on its platforms. This trend also raises concerns about data privacy. There have been cases where personal data used in AI avatar creation is leaked or hacked, leading to privacy violations.

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CLEAN ENERGY

Solar’s steep price decline is great news for the planet — and everyone on it

The Trend: Improvements in technology and manufacturing have slashed the cost of solar energy by almost 90% over the last decade (check out the chart above). As prices fall to an all-time low, solar is set to meet nearly half of global growth in electricity demand through 2025, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The Opportunity: Renewables currently outpace fossil electricity investment 10 to 1, with solar bringing in more investment than all other power sources combined. Countries across the world are pushing for greener solutions to the energy crisis, presenting aspiring entrepreneurs with opportunities in the space.

These are some growing niches in the solar market where you could start your next project or company:

• Solar Installation and Maintenance Services: As solar continues to get more wallet-friendly, the demand for solar electricity is skyrocketing worldwide. People are pouring money into solar PVs, and as installations increase, so does the need for regular maintenance and repair services. There’s a sizable opportunity to launch a niche startup that offers specialized services like ground-mounted solar farms, rooftop solar installation, cleaning and repairs, and efficiency monitoring.

• Solar Energy Consulting: Switching to solar can be daunting—you find yourself asking where to begin, how to save money, and what to make of all those government incentives and regulations. While these considerations are usually less complicated for a single household, things get complex when you’re dealing with large buildings and facilities. A micro-consultancy in solar energy implementation takes the guesswork out. It’s a smart and profitable side hustle, helping homeowners and businesses make sense of their energy usage, find cost-cutting opportunities, and understand the maze of government regulations and incentives.

• Solar Product Retail: There’s also a growing market in D2C solar and consumer products. A quick search shows that Amazon is flooded with solar-powered appliances like solar heaters, solar cookers, door cameras, lights, batteries, and more. You can tap into the pent-up demand for solar products by partnering up with manufacturers and supplying solar products to local markets.

Considerations: The clean energy space is tightly regulated. Staying on top of evolving regulations and government incentives can get tricky, especially when there is little policy continuity. Goalposts and priorities around solar energy change every couple of years, which makes adaptability key.

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WHAT’S NEXT

The big events prediction markets are forecasting 

Here are the top predictions we found this week:

• 41% of predictors are backing ChatGPT to dethrone Gemini and end 2025 as the best AI model of the year.

• With TikTok set to bow out of the US by January 19, the ratio of predictors expecting X to re-launch Vine in 2025 has increased to 18%.

• 1 in 7 predictors are betting that Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai will quit the company in 2025.

• 25% of the market expects NASA to land on the moon before 2028.

• With Trudeau out, Pierre Poilievre is the favorite to win Canada’s next election, with 86% of the market expecting him to win.

In case you’re not familiar with prediction markets, think of them like a stock market for guessing future events. People buy and sell shares (basically bets) based on what they think will happen. While not 100% accurate (no one can tell the future for certain), they offer a glimpse into what the market thinks will unfold in the coming weeks and months.

Your opinion matters!

You’re the reason our team spends hundreds of hours every week researching and writing this email. Please let us know what you thought of today’s email to help us create better emails for you.

Until next time,

Zain and the Superhuman AI team