American musician and composer Holly Herndon seems to be capitalizing on the principle of deep-fake applied science by allowing fans to use a digital version of herself to create original artwork they can then sell.

According to a Thursday announcement from Herndon on Twitter, users who want to make their own deepfakes using the musician's unique vocalisation and image will have the opportunity to sell their minted creations using nonfungible token, or NFT, marketplace Zora. Herndon said fans tin can submit their digital copies to be approved by the project'due south DAO and would receive fifty% of any sale profits.

The projection said it would initially release three "genesis" Holly+ NFTs forth with submissions from the public, which will be minted using a smart contract and auctioned on Zora next month. Users will receive half of any profits, with twoscore% given to the DAO and the rest to Herndon herself. The reserve price for two of the genesis NFTs is 15 Ether (ETH) — roughly $48,150 at the time of publication.

"Creating work with the voices of others is something to comprehend," said Herndon. "Anyone can submit artwork using my likeness."

Related: Deep Truths of Deepfakes — Tech That Can Fool Anyone

Herndon's digital twin — called Holly+ — may have pregnant implications for artists wanting to maintain command over their image and voice. Though the musician'due south first 2 NFTs are seemingly unlikely to be mistaken for a natural speaking or singing voice, deepfakes accept often been used to spread misinformation or otherwise dispense the truth.

In this case, with the artist's consent and encouragement, and with the technology likely to improve in the hereafter, more realistic — and profitable — digital versions of Herndon could arise. At the moment, the DAO offers a check for profiting on not-approved voice clips.

"Song deepfakes are here to stay," said Herndon for the release of Holly+ last calendar month. "A residue needs to be institute between protecting artists, and encouraging people to experiment with a new and exciting technology. That is why we are running this experiment in communal vocalisation buying."