A Sheffield-based media studio is calling for 10,000 people to have their face 3D scanned to help create unique AI-generated video game characters.

Studio Ten24 said volunteers can earn £40 for taking part in its ‘Sapiens Project’, which has already scanned 1,000 faces so far.

Using 71 cameras set up at their office, people’s faces are scanned in a process which takes a couple of seconds, and added to the massive database which Ten24 is building.

James Busby, Director at Ten24, said those who take part in the project can access the information they share, and ask for their data to be deleted at any point.

Mr Busby said: “We’re trying to show big studios that you can do this ethically, you can pay people and you can build big databases that way.”

He added that Ten24 is GDPR-compliant (General Data Protection Regulation), and has put measures in place to protect data from being scraped or shared without permission.

The AI industry is currently booming, and concerns have been raised worldwide about data privacy and safety as AI models scrape data from across the internet.

While there’s a possibility to see your exact face in a video game, the studio said it’s more likely that your face will be rendered alongside thousands of others to create a unique video game character instead.

Ten24 is a well-known support studio with an impressive portfolio to show for it, ever since their inception in 2008. The studio’s work can be seen in blockbuster titles such as Baldur’s Gate 3 (2024’s Game of the Year), Death Stranding, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, Halo 4, and Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV among others.

The studio’s 3D scanning endeavours transcend video games too, with their work also present in Alien: Isolation trailer, and an episode from Netflix’s Love, Death & Robots.

Scans from the Sapiens Project may be used for such creative projects as well, and it may also be used for developing robotics, medical research, and improving AI models.

Those interested can visit the Sapiens store at the Orchid Square, with no restrictive perquisites in place about ethnicity, race, and gender.

Ten24 is actively looking to add diversity to their 3D scans so that they can provide a wide range of stock video game characters to game developers. Volunteers are required to be clean shaven and should not have any make up on.

Mr Busby revealed that they have not had a big turnout yet from the student population in Sheffield, but are hoping for more students to come in and volunteer.