A top venture capital firm is funding one company to create thousands of fake AI influencers, after also funding another company that builds tech to detect them. This is the new "synthetic social web," an emerging industry that is targeting the work of human creative professionals.

Which is what this channel is about: the changing landscape of online and the creative professional industry.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• Doublespeed AI, the A16Z-backed company with the tagline "never pay a human again."
• The "disease and the cure" investment strategy involving the detection company, Doppel.
• The new wave of startups (like MakeUGC and Creatify AI) built to create fake, synthetic user generated content.
• The distinction between "tools" and "services" that aim to replace human labor entirely.
• The impact of this on the jobs creative professionals and the loss of authenticity online.

Mentioned in this video (references and sources):

Doublespeed AI https://doublespeed.ai

Doppel: https://www.doppel.com

VC Firm: Andreessen Horowitz (A16Z) and doublespeed: https://speedrun.a16z.com/companies/doublespeed

A16Z and Doppel: https://a16z.com/announcement/investing-in-doppel

Report: 404 Media on Double Speed https://www.404media.co/a16z-backed-startup-sells-thousands-of-synthetic-influencers-to-manipulate-social-media-as-a-service

Podcast Source: Double Speed founder on phone farms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMO0VYTBC7U

High school students: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-27/teens-struggle-to-tell-if-social-media-videos-are-real-or-ai/105924186

Synthetic generated UGC Startups:

• https://Creatify.ai
• https://Zeely.ai
• https://Arcads.ai
• https://Tagshop.ai
• https://www.makeugc.ai
• https://creatorkit.com/ai-actors

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Written, edited, and hosted by Jen deHaan.

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Produced by Jen deHaan of StereoForest https://stereoforest.com

Contact Jen at https://jendehaan.com

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About Jen

Jen's professional background is in web software technology (audio/video/web and graphics), working for many years in Silicon Valley. She has worked in instructional design, writing, marketing, and education in the creative space. She was also a quality engineer for awhile.

Jen became involved in performing, acting, and improv in 2015. She taught dance fitness classes (despite beginning with two left feet), performed in community theatre, and taught and coached improv comedy and acting at several theatres. Jen was also the Online School Director and Director of Marketing at WGIS.

Jen's website: https://jendehaan.com

This podcast is a StereoForest production. Made and produced in British Columbia, Canada.