NAB
In the future photoreal
synthetic humans will be a regular part of our day-to-day lives, and in China
we can already catch a glimpse of this in action.
article here
From brand
ambassadors to virtual live streamers and virtual tour guides,
digital human beings have become commonplace in China, not only in cyberspace
but also in real life where their presence is growing.
These digital
avatars are known as “meta-humans.” The term should be distinguished from
a “posthuman” or “transhuman,” defined as an individual who has
enhanced their physical and cognitive abilities beyond what is considered
normal for a human being.
Epic Games also has
software for creating realistic digital humans called MetaHuman.
In China,
meta-humans are described as digital characters of such photorealism that they
are getting to the point of being indistinguishable from real life.
Dao Insights, owned
by London and Shanghai-based creative agency Qumin Group, says such
digitized humans are at the core of China’s metaverse ambitions.
The country’s first
hyper-realistic meta-human is called AYAYI, created by Chinese tech
company RM Group.
In an interview
with Dao Insights, RM Group co-founder Nicky Yu explains that
there are two main applications for virtual humans: functional ones that might
serve as the automated face and voice of virtual assistants for companies in
hotels or banks, for example; and those intended for more creative media and
entertainment-based ends.
These so-called
IP-oriented virtual humans include anime-based characters and
hyper-realistic humans, like AYAYI.
According to Yu,
the commercial model of IP-oriented virtual beings is rather unstable. “Just as
every movie can’t be a hit at the box office,” he says.
The value of the
more service-oriented avatars depend as much as anything on how capable its AI
is together with its cost, “whereas the appearance of the creation is less
relevant,” according to Yu.
He describes
creating a meta-human as similar to the production of a movie.
“We started with a
script outlining the character’s persona and created a sketch based on those
pre-set personalities and then modelled it. Once we were satisfied with the
modelling, we launched a market survey, collecting feedback from the public to
see if they think the appearance matches the persona we created. After that, we
further polished and enriched the design of the character.”
It took RM Group
just half a year from initial design to finish to deliver AYAYI.
One reason for the
popularity of virtual stars in China, perhaps similarly to South Korean
culture, too, is that they are insulated from celebrity scandal.
“In recent years,
there has been a sense of disappointment and betrayal arising amongst the fan
base. As a result, some fans have stopped following stars,” Yu explains.
“Whereas the image
of virtual influencers is more controllable and they are always free from
scandals. Therefore, they are a much safer option compared to their human
counterparts.”
Brands can exploit
the malleability and scandal-free persona of a virtual “idol” to engage
customers by engendering an “emotional touch and maintaining a strong loyalty
amongst fans.”
This is a classic
extension of digital marketing.
Yu emphasizes that
it is the story and content curated around digital characters that bring real
impact for brands on their target audience.
“For example, if a
digital human being can create music, which is powered by AI and is liked by
audiences, then people are more likely to endorse the virtual being because of
the work. Here, AI-generated music is the medium where digital characters can
communicate with the public and further establish a relationship with them.”
The metaverse
industry in China’s financial hub Shanghai alone is set to hit 350 billion
RMB ($52.3 billion) by 2025.
Industrial parks in
the city include two dedicated to the metaverse, two focusing on the digital economy,
and three designated for intelligent terminal technology, “creating a
comprehensive ecosystem that would enable the facilitation of the multi-layered
virtual world.”
Yu says RM Group
plans to integrate digital assets closer with the physical world,
“strengthening the connection between the virtual and real spheres,” and
believes the concept of meta-humans has barely scratched the surface.
“I believe a
digital life will be a crucial component of virtual human beings in the
future,” he says. “When each of us has a digital twin who can understand us in
cyberspace or a robotic likeness to conduct daily activities and socialize in
the virtual realm, that’s when we can say the era of digital humans and the
metaverse has come.”
No comments:
Post a Comment