First came digital virtual teachers now here’s a virtual university president
Digital humans and avatars are becoming more realistic and life-like in the way they behave, move, and talk, and now they're helping students in all kinds of new ways.
Key takeaways
- The stresses of studying, pandemic rules, exorbitant fees, and douchebags with guitars can make for trying times.
- The clone in question is an expertly crafted digital twin of Keith Whitfield, the real life human president of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
- After recruiting the services of the AI Media Lab for a bargain $125,000 he then headed to the studio where he spent around eight hours reading information about UNLV, reciting questions for students, and talking about himself.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2022) 'First came digital virtual teachers now here’s a virtual university president', 311 Institute, 11 March. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/first-came-digital-virtual-teachers-and-now-heres-a-virtual-university-president/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
We’ve all seen digital humans, CGI generated digital replicas of humans that have Artificial Intelligence (AI) neural network brains and which are increasingly so life-like that they’re difficult to distinguish from real people. And we’ve all seen Will, the digital human who’s been teaching over 250,000 children in Australia all about renewable energy.
However, just as every teacher needs a boss Will it seems also has a new boss, kind of, after a team in the US created what appears to be the world’s first ever digital university president.
It’s tough being a college student in the US these days. The stresses of studying, pandemic rules, exorbitant fees, and douchebags with guitars can make for trying times. But don’t worry say the creators, AI has arrived to alleviate your worries, meet your new digital university president.
Meet the new UNLV virtual president!
The clone in question is an expertly crafted digital twin of Keith Whitfield, the real life human president of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
“I had this kind of grandiose desire to talk to every single student, and I think I said that and the whole room just got quiet and said, ‘he’s lost his mind’,” Whitfield told 13 Action News.
The president presumably brushed aside their concerns though and then went looking for a way to create an AI doppelganger. After recruiting the services of the AI Media Lab for a bargain $125,000 he then headed to the studio where he spent around eight hours reading information about UNLV, reciting questions for students, and talking about himself.
Learn more about the future of Synthetic Content, by Keynote Futurist Matthew Griffin
AI Media Lab used the recordings and 3D images of Whitfield to create his avatar and then the virtual mentor was then unleashed on the lucky UNLV students. To seek his guidance, all they need to do is turn on their microphone and agree to two privacy policies, along with just one terms of service.
Load him up and seconds later you have a life-like digital president on your screen.
“My goal is to help you through your experience at UNLV by answering questions, directing you to resources, and helping you with whatever you might be going through,” he starts off saying.
Virtual Whitfield also tries to accommodate students every need according to reports and can do things such as revealing the real presidents favourite spot on campus, giving students tips on studying dystopian tech, and he’s even amiable to requests for drugs.
All of which means that there’s some fine tuning to do, however, when students ask hm about love he replies:
“I am not currently married.”
Perhaps we shouldn’t be too critical of this first attempt though. The digital pres is pretty smooth and he does recommend resources for mental health, financial aid, and career advice, although a simple search function could have provided that more swiftly.
While students are finding the virtual president more personable than a chatbot and reports so far have been complimentary we’ll have to wait and see how he gets on and whether he, it, is the beginning of a new trend in education.
Source: UNLV
What this means for your organisation
Leaders can scale themselves.
A digital twin lets one person talk to every student. Executives could do the same with staff or customers. Leaders should consider where personal contact at scale would add value.
Trust depends on honesty.
People need to know they are talking to an avatar. Clear disclosure and limits protect credibility. Set rules on what the twin can and cannot say.
Privacy comes with the territory.
Users must accept several policies before they can use it. Voice and conversation data are sensitive. Firms should handle such data with strict controls.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Where could a digital twin of a leader help us?
- What should a leader's twin never be allowed to say?
- How will we protect the data people share with avatars?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Digital humans and avatars are becoming more realistic and life-like in the way they behave, move, and talk, and now they're helping students in all kinds of new ways.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
Read full bio
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- told 13 Action News ktnv.com
- AI Media Lab aimedialab.com
- Unlvs digital president finds new way reach students unlv.edu
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 11 March 2022. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2022). First came digital virtual teachers now here’s a virtual university president. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/first-came-digital-virtual-teachers-and-now-heres-a-virtual-university-president/
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