I Just Built an AI Version of Myself. Here's What I Learned.

Last month, I built an AI version of myself. I wanted to see where this technology actually is, beyond the demos. The surprising part came when I showed it to my family. They couldn't tell which clips were real and which were generated. That was the moment I realized this isn't a gimmick anymore.

The process was simple. We used HeyGen to learn my expressions and gestures, and ElevenLabs to clone my voice. HeyGen needed existing podcast footage. ElevenLabs needed 2-3 hours of audio. Both had simple verification steps to confirm consent. Once the models were trained, syncing them created a version of me that could deliver scripts and produce content on its own.

The practical upside became obvious immediately. I can now generate videos without being on camera, test ideas quickly, and create content in multiple languages without booking studio time. What makes this even more striking is how accessible it has become. No studio, no engineers, no special hardware. A laptop and a weekend of curiosity is enough.

And that raises a bigger question. If anyone can produce high-quality content at scale, what happens to the media landscape? The cost of creation is collapsing. Volume will explode. The challenge will shift from "Can you make content?" to "Can anyone find it?"

In that world, trust and taste become scarce. Distribution becomes the moat. Creators and companies that understand how to build durable audiences will pull away from everyone else. This technology will not replace human creativity. It will amplify it. The advantage goes to the people who learn how to use these tools early and thoughtfully, not as shortcuts but as leverage.

The market proves this is real. ElevenLabs has gone from a $100 million valuation in mid-2023 to more than $3 billion in early 2025, a 33x increase in less than two years. That doesn't happen because investors are impressed by demos. It happens because the underlying technology is real, the demand curve is accelerating, and the commercial use cases are expanding faster than anyone expected. The returns mirror the shift. The companies building these tools are compounding at venture speed, and the people who understand and adopt them early - whether creators or investors - are positioning themselves ahead of the curve.

Worth understanding. Worth testing.

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UpRounds by Brinc

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Dugu Systems
Vertical: Climate Tech
Description: Clean energy turbines capturing carbon emissions.

Dugu Systems is developing an emissions-free gas turbine to produce clean energy while capturing carbon from a range of fuels. Low cost, zero carbon power from natural gas, field gas or biogenic syngas. Our innovation simplifies turbine design, delivering a clean and efficient engine that’s also easy to manufacture. 

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Can you tell this is AI?

I just recorded a 2-minute video without opening my mouth. This avatar looks like me. Sounds like me. Explains our new Web3 accelerator like me.

But it's 100% AI.

The video breaks down Brinc's Web3 accelerator (backed by Hong Kong's largest payment network, XDC Ventures blockchain, and IDA's compliant stablecoin infrastructure). That's real news. Real program. Real opportunity for founders.

Did you catch it was AI, or did your brain accept it as real?