<\/p>\n
XR has launched new payment systems for AI-generated performers, aligning with SAG-AFTRA contracts amid growing use of digital and synthetic characters in advertising campaigns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
XR has moved to extend its payments infrastructure into one of advertising\u2019s newest grey areas: artificial intelligence-generated performances. The company says its system is designed to handle compensation for AI-created or AI-altered performers in commercials in line with the 2025 SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract, as brands increasingly use digital replicas and fully synthetic characters in campaigns.<\/p>\n
According to XR, the platform is intended to slot into existing rights and payroll workflows rather than force agencies to build separate processes for AI talent. The company said it has updated XR Pay and XR Metadata to recognise two union categories, Digital Replicas and Synthetic Performers, so that payment can be directed either to the performer or estate, or, in the case of a synthetic character with no human counterpart, to SAG-AFTRA benefit funds.<\/p>\n
Tim Hale, managing director of XR Pay, said the advertising industry is entering new territory as AI becomes more central to celebrity likenesses and synthetic casting. He argued that brands, agencies and talent representatives need systems that can keep pace with the technology while still protecting rights and ensuring compliance with union obligations.<\/p>\n
The move lands against a broader rise in celebrity-led advertising. XR\u2019s 2025 State of Pay report said total spending on celebrity guarantees topped $1bn in 2025, up 47% from 2019, with athletes the fastest-growing segment and payments to women\u2019s basketball talent rising sharply. The same report pointed to a growing creator economy and a widening production footprint beyond traditional centres such as New York and Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
XR has been expanding beyond on-camera payments into production payroll more broadly. In recent months, the company has also promoted tools for hiring and paying advertising crews, while its help centre has continued to publish updated contract materials for SAG-AFTRA\u2019s audio, television and promo commercial frameworks. That suggests the company is positioning itself as a fuller back-office utility for commercial production at a moment when both AI-generated performances and traditional talent payments are becoming more complex.<\/p>\n
Inspired by headline at:<\/strong> [1]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n