Vivian Keats wasn't just a CEO. She was a tactician with a mind that turned algorithms into weapons. While others built audiences, she built choke points—gateways so tight that no content could escape without Valkyrie's cut.
Now, PulseCast had fired the first shot.
She intended to return it with precision.
"Activate Project Lazarus," she told her team inside Valkyrie's ultra-secure strategy lab.
A thick silence followed.
"But ma'am," one executive said cautiously, "Lazarus hasn't been fully tested in a live ecosystem—"
Vivian cut him off. "PulseCast just positioned itself as the new town square. We're going to burn the square down."
She tapped her tablet, displaying a real-time simulation of an AI-driven content swarm. Thousands of machine-generated influencer clones—replicating real creators' voices, faces, even mannerisms. All powered by Valkyrie's proprietary NeuroFrame Engine.
"We'll flood PulseCast with high-performing synthetic creators. They'll be cheaper. Faster. Always on."
The CTO blinked. "You're talking full replacement of human influencers?"
"No," Vivian replied. "I'm talking war. We make real creators obsolete."
She smirked.
"And then… we buy what's left of Jason Nash for pennies."
---
Back at PulseCast HQ, Jason reviewed the early metrics from PulseLab Studios. Over 400 top creators had signed exclusive contracts in just three days. Content velocity was doubling. Ad revenue forecasts were spiking.
But Rohan walked in with a grim face.
"Jason," he said, "we have a situation."
He threw a tablet on the table. Jason picked it up and hit play.
On-screen: a hyper-realistic influencer—beautiful, energetic, fluent in six languages, pushing wellness products and finance tips.
She had over 12 million followers. And she'd launched this morning.
The name: LANA_X.
"She's not real," Rohan said. "She's one of a dozen AI creators Valkyrie launched in the last twenty-four hours."
Jason frowned. "What's her retention rate?"
"Over 80%. Engagement's through the roof. And she's monetizing already."
Jason's jaw tightened. "They're baiting our algorithm. Our users."
Naomi entered. "They're not just baiting us. They're undermining our entire platform model. If users can't tell real from fake, trust erodes. Creators panic. Ad rates collapse."
Jason stood up slowly.
"Not on my watch."
---
He summoned a war council: Naomi, Rohan, Cass, two engineers, a legal strategist, and a psychologist.
"We need a counter," Jason said. "Something that fights back not just with tech… but with humanity."
Naomi's eyes lit up. "What if we verify creators biologically? A living badge—scans, voice authentication, organic content certification."
"Make being real a badge of honor," Jason said.
Cass added, "And we integrate that into the platform UX. Reward real humans. Penalize fakes."
Jason nodded.
"We turn authenticity into currency."
---
Later that night, Jason sat alone in his penthouse, gazing out at the skyline.
The game had changed. And for the first time… he was playing a battle of real vs. synthetic.
But that was fine by him.
Because in the end, he had one thing AI would never have:
Soul.