Is it Me? Toward Self-Extension to AI Avatars in Virtual Reality

TL;DR

This paper introduces ProxyMe, a VR prototype enabling users to embody avatars with AI-modified speech, exploring how AI augmentation affects self-perception, agency, and identity in virtual communication.

Contribution

It presents a novel VR system that integrates avatar embodiment, voice cloning, and AI speech augmentation to study avatar self-extension and user experience.

Findings

Explores how AI-modified speech influences perceived agency.

Identifies design challenges for AI-avatar integration.

Proposes scenarios for future research on self-extension in VR.

Abstract

Advances in generative AI, speech synthesis, and embodied avatars enable systems that not only assist communication, but can act as proxies on users' behalf. Prior work in HCI has largely focused on systems as external tools, with less attention paid to the experiential consequences of users' speech and actions becoming assimilated with AI-generated output. We introduce the design and implementation of ProxyMe, a work-in-progress VR prototype that allows users to embody an avatar whose voice and spoken content are modified by an AI system. By combining avatar-based embodiment, voice cloning, and AI-mediated speech augmentation, ProxyMe invites the exploration of avatar self-extension: situations in which AI-modified communication is experienced as part of one's own expressive behavior. We chart out research challenges and envisioned scenarios, with a focus on how varying degrees of delegation and steerability can influence perceived agency, authorship, and self-identification.