Cristian Volpato licenses digital likeness as athletes seek control

Socceroos footballer Cristian Volpato has licensed his AI likeness to California-based Callandor, joining athletes seeking to monetise and protect their digital identities. The deal gives the company exclusive rights to his digital likeness, voice, biometric profiles and performance data. Callandor will pursue approved brand partnerships, take a cut of the proceeds and help restrict content he has not authorised.

The company’s campaigns remain in the pilot phase, but its ambitions extend beyond advertising. Potential applications include foreign-language book voiceovers, personalised fan interactions and apps where a synthetic version of an athlete provides real-time coaching. Brazilian footballer Jorginho and American sailor Chris Poole are also clients. Neymar has separately licensed his likeness for AI-generated entertainment videos.

The emerging market is testing consent rules across sport. The AFL recently told gambling partner Sportsbet to stop using AI-generated player images without permission following a players’ union complaint. Major Australian sporting league contracts currently make no mention of AI, while footballers including Cole Palmer and Lucy Bronze have backed a campaign highlighting deepfake risks.

Legal protections remain limited. Intellectual property specialist Jonathan Harlen says copyright requires human authorship and does not apply to AI reproductions. Passing-off protections require public figures to demonstrate economic loss. It also remains unclear whether brands will pay as much for synthetic endorsements as for appearances by athletes themselves.