Reid Hoffman, the LinkedIn co-founder and prominent Silicon Valley investor, has developed an AI-powered digital twin of himself to explore how deepfake technology can be used for positive purposes. In a Monday interview on the "American Optimist" podcast, Hoffman revealed that his AI clone, dubbed "Reid AI," uses a custom GPT model, ElevenLabs for voice synthesis, and video-generation tools to mimic his appearance, speech patterns, and mannerisms across multiple languages. Hoffman created the AI twin as part of a broader effort to challenge the negative perception of deepfakes, which are often associated with misinformation and deception. "You have this technology that most people call deepfake, and deepfake just sounds like it's bad," he said. "So I was like, let's start experimenting with it and see how it can work in better ways." One of the most striking demonstrations came after Hoffman delivered a speech in May 2024 at the University of Perugia in Italy. Using his AI twin, he recreated the same speech in Hindi, Chinese, Japanese, and Italian—languages he does not speak. "I've never heard my voice speaking Hindi; I've never heard my voice speaking Japanese," he said. "And it was like, wow, it is clearly my voice." The project, which Hoffman described as "raw experimentation," highlights the potential of AI to break down language barriers and increase global accessibility to ideas. By enabling one person to communicate across cultures and languages, the technology could amplify voices and foster deeper cross-cultural understanding. However, Hoffman also stressed the risks involved. He emphasized that the AI twin remains private and is not deployed publicly, citing concerns about malicious actors using similar tools to generate false statements or spread disinformation. He pointed to real-world examples, such as AI-generated robocalls impersonating President Joe Biden to discourage voting in the 2024 New Hampshire primary, and fake audio clips falsely claiming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had surrendered. Hoffman’s approach prioritizes transparency—users are informed that the content is synthetic, and access is tightly controlled. His goal is not to replace human communication but to explore how AI can augment it responsibly. He believes the technology itself is neither good nor bad—it depends on how it’s designed and used. "What we're trying to do, as technooptimists say, is how do we shape it so it's applied well?" he said. Hoffman is not alone in this space. Other figures, such as "The Diary of a CEO" host Steven Bartlett, have also launched AI-driven versions of themselves to narrate content, signaling a growing trend in using synthetic media for creative and educational purposes.