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‘America’s Next Top Model’ Adrianne Curry gets digitally cloned
MUMBAI: In a move that should send waves through Hollywood, model and television celebrity Adrianne Curry and NVIDIA, which works in the field of programmable graphics processor technology, have teamed up to create the world’s first real-time virtual 3D celebrity. |
This breakthrough, which was created using Softimage XSI and NVidia professional graphics solutions, opens the door for ‘stars’ to create and license detailed replicas of their likeness without ever having to make a physical appearance or take a photograph. Virtual celebrity licensing will have a multitude of applications, including adapting celebrity characters into newly developed video games, virtual modelling and endorsements, digital appearances in film and television, and virtual hosting on Web sites or traditional broadcast media. |
Curry says, ‘I am honoured to have been selected as the first celebrity for this project. The Digital Adrianne is so realistic, it’s really trippy. Lara Croft, eat my shorts!” Curry, NVidia states, is the ideal choice for this venture as she is on the cutting-edge of this fresh, new trend in Hollywood. In addition to her successful modelling career, which has landed her on the pages of Maxim, Playboy, Sync and Marie Claire magazines. She has appeared in TV shows like America’s Next Top Model. NVidia senior VP marketing Dan Vivoli says, “The uses for this technological breakthrough are truly endless. The digital Adrianne can demonstrate the same range of emotions, movements, and attitudes and appear just as lifelike as her living, breathing counterpart. It is simply a stunning transformation.” |
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
