All articles tagged with #digital avatars
Tilly Norwood is an AI-generated digital avatar created by Xicoia, marketed as a potential actress and talent, but fundamentally a manipulated puppet controlled by AI and human oversight. The promotion of such avatars raises concerns about authenticity, the future of human performers, and the hype surrounding AI in entertainment, with critics warning it could threaten real artists' livelihoods and devalue human artistry.
Kiss has sold the rights to their music catalog, including their iconic personas and makeup, to Pophouse, the Swedish company behind the ABBA Voyage hologram show, for a reported sum of over $300 million. As part of the deal, Pophouse will create digital avatars of the band, allowing them to live on as holograms starting in 2027. The partnership aims to bring the full Kiss experience to both existing and new fans for years to come, with plans for avatar shows, a biopic, and a Kiss-themed experience. Pophouse is still exploring how to best utilize the avatars, which are larger-than-life versions of the band members in full regalia, and has also acquired the rights to Cyndi Lauper's music catalog.
As Chinese mourners observe the tomb-sweeping festival, some are turning to artificial intelligence to create digital avatars of their departed loved ones, with services offering to generate moving digital replicas for a small fee. This trend reflects the expanding AI industry in China, where companies are adept at creating human-like avatars, and even using them for business purposes. However, the use of AI to "resurrect" deceased individuals has sparked controversy, with some arguing that it should be regulated to prevent causing mental pain to the relatives of the deceased.
Apple has released a research paper detailing its generative AI technology called HUGS, which can create a digital human avatar from a short video in about 30 minutes. The technique, known as Human Gaussian Splats (HUGS), uses 3D Gaussian Splatting to create an animatable human within a scene. The system can disentangle the static scene and create a fully-animatable human avatar, filling in gaps for elements like cloth and hair. The process is about 100 times faster than other methods and has been trained in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems. Apple has been exploring the concept of digital avatars for various applications, including FaceTime conversations and representing users in virtual environments.
Channel 1, a national news channel set to launch next year, plans to replace human anchors with hyper-realistic AI-generated avatars. These avatars, including "digital doubles" of real actors, will talk, look, and move like real humans, but are designed using artificial intelligence technology. The channel aims to be transparent with viewers about what footage is original and what is AI-generated. Channel 1 will stream its news on TV apps and plans to add a translation feature for global rollout. The company's goal is to produce personalized news streams, allowing viewers to select the stories they want to watch. The information for the news reports will come from partnerships with legacy news outlets, freelance journalists, and AI-generated reports from trusted official sources. The company is also fundraising for its growth goals and plans to follow best practices and standards in using digital doubles to respect people's rights to their own likeness.
Kiss unveiled digital avatars during their farewell concert at Madison Square Garden, showcasing technology that will allow them to become "immortal." The avatars, developed using motion capture technology, have superpowers such as floating, blowing fire, and shooting electricity. The band plans to explore various possibilities for their avatars after the tour, including concerts, rock operas, musicals, and adventures. The use of avatars suggests that this farewell show may truly be the band's goodbye to fans. Original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss are not expected to be part of any future avatar performances.
After concluding their "The End of the Road" farewell tour, rock band KISS plans to continue performing through digital avatars created in partnership with Industrial Light & Magic and Pophouse Entertainment Group. The band's holographic avatars made their debut during the final show, floating above the audience and performing a robotic rendition of a song. KISS aims to stay "forever young and forever iconic" with this technology, which has already proven successful for other artists like Abba. The band's history of capitalizing on merchandise and unique products makes this move unsurprising, and it reflects a growing trend of aging rock stars utilizing holograms for future performances.
Kiss, the iconic rock band, closed out their farewell tour with a surprise as they transformed into digital avatars during their encore performance. The avatars, created by George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic, allowed the band to continue their legacy in a new digital form. This cutting-edge technology opens up possibilities for virtual concerts and global performances, with Kiss expressing interest in a kind of digital immortality. The music industry has seen an increase in experimentation with digital avatars, with artists like ABBA and K-pop groups utilizing similar technology. Kiss fans can look forward to potential future avatar concerts.
KISS delivers an explosive final concert at Madison Square Garden, marking the end of their 50-year career. The band performed for 2 hours and 15 minutes, leaving fans emotional and believing it was their grand finale. However, a message on the video screens announced a "new KISS era" and introduced digital avatars of the band. Despite some vocal issues, KISS's showmanship and ability to create a movement known as the KISS Army have solidified their place in rock history. The future moves of the band will determine the final chapter of their legacy.