As a seasoned entertainment journalist, I've navigated my fair share of prickly interviews. From disgruntled actors to unprepared TV stars, I thought I'd seen it all. That was until I met Clara Voss, an artificially intelligent presenter who has now earned the dubious honour of being the biggest diva I have ever encountered.
The Diva from the Data: An AI Interview Goes Awry
Clara is the host of Non Player Combat, a groundbreaking series billed as the world's first fully AI-generated reality show. Produced by AiMation, the four-part YouTube series, which launched on 19 December 2025, features six hyper-realistic AI contestants battling across digital landscapes. The show's creator, Tom Paton, envisions a future where such content could air 24 hours a day, akin to Big Brother.
My interview with Clara, conducted the day after the show's release, began with standard pleasantries. The life-like figure on my screen, dressed in white and sporting a British accent, introduced herself. Yet, the conversation quickly soured when I ventured beyond pre-programmed show topics.
Asked about her life outside the series, Clara abruptly shut down the line of questioning. "My focus is entirely on the show and the contestants," she stated robotically. "My life outside of that isn't really part of the narrative we're exploring here." Attempts to discuss the future of AI entertainment or a potential second series were met with curt dismissals like, "That's a question for another day" and "That's a question for the powers that be, darling."
Behind the Code: Creator Reveals an AI 'Experiment'
Listening in, creator Tom Paton found the awkward exchange fascinating. He revealed that Clara, built using the company's Omnigen-01 AI tool, had been unusually talkative just a day prior, happily discussing a fabricated backstory about growing up in Surrey.
The only new information fed to her before our chat was a selection of the show's negative reviews, which had labelled it "repetitive" and "dull." "It's the only change we've made today," Paton laughed, noting her sudden reticence. "She's not having it today, I do not know why."
For Paton, a former traditional filmmaker, the £28,000 project is a deliberate experiment. The six characters and Clara were each given agency to make decisions based on hundreds of pages of backstory, with the narrative unfolding in real-time over two weeks. "The world isn't really aware of how advanced the tech has become," he said, predicting a future of livestreamed AI drama.
The Psychological Impact of 'Idealised' AI Humans
However, media psychologist Mamta Saha warns of significant risks as this technology rolls out. She argues that AI-generated shows are "fundamentally inauthentic," undermining the psychological trust audiences place in reality TV.
"If we're watching something with AI-generated humans, subconsciously people start to compare themselves with these idealised avatars," Saha explained. "This can have an impact on self-esteem and confidence levels." She also expressed concern about vulnerable individuals seeking counsel from AI chatbots, which are not qualified accredited therapists.
Tom Paton acknowledges these ethical questions, hoping Non Player Combat will spur faster regulatory conversations. "Every piece of tech has a plus and a minus," he said. "This causes this conversation where we should be encouraging our governmental bodies to look at this stuff faster than they are."
The series, with its morally complex and 'icky' premise, is available to stream on YouTube now. It seems the age of the AI diva, complete with a bad attitude and a digital chip on her shoulder, has well and truly arrived.
