Holly Herndon's digital twin

Immerse as your virtual characters, connect with others, and create unforgettable moments on any video and gaming platform.

Horipro, a prominent Japanese talent agency established in 1960, has expanded into the digital human space with its 2024 collaboration with Dentsu to create a virtual version of actress Rika Adachi. This marked Horipro’s first AI-generated talent and part of a broader initiative to explore synthetic characters for entertainment, communication, and metaverse applications. The project produced a highly realistic 3D avatar capable of real-time interaction and multilingual support, showcasing Horipro’s interest in extending talent representation into digital platforms. While Adachi’s digital twin remains the only publicly known example, the move reflects Horipro’s strategic shift toward leveraging AI and synthetic media in its talent management business.

Huace Film & TV (huacemedia.com, SZ300133) is one of China’s leading film and television companies and has been actively incorporating AI and digital human technologies into its operations. The company has launched wearable digital collectibles that allow users to build unique 3D avatars, applied virtual digital human technologies in film production such as the movie A Writer’s Odyssey, and created business units dedicated to metaverse and AIGC (AI-generated content). It established an AIGC Research Institute in 2023 with an initial 500 million RMB fund to drive innovation in digital humans, AI-assisted scriptwriting, face and voice replacement, virtual production, trailers, special effects, and AI-generated posters. Huace has also partnered with companies such as Baidu and Migu to integrate large language models like Wenxin Yiyan (ERNIE Bot) into its workflows. Its initiatives span from building virtual idols and interactive fan engagement through digital humans to developing copyright-based digital assets for commercialization.

Huace Media (Zhejiang Huace Film & TV Co., Ltd.) established the AIGC Research Institute in June 2023 with a 500 million RMB special fund to embed generative AI across its film and TV operations. Led by President Fu Binxing, the institute is structured around system development, creative empowerment, application promotion, and cooperation, and focuses on building three specialized AI models for text, image/text, and 3D assets. These models support workflows from script evaluation and screenwriting assistance to virtual production, asset generation, and post-production marketing, including fan engagement via digital humans. By 2024, Huace launched in-house models such as “Youfeng” and “Guose,” the latter recognized by China’s National Internet Information Office for compliant generative AI, making Huace one of the first listed film companies to achieve this.

Huawei has developed a comprehensive digital human ecosystem through its MetaStudio platform, which offers 2D and 3D virtual humans for use in industries such as government, healthcare, finance, education, and media. These digital humans are driven by Huawei’s in-house PanGu large model and MetaEngine graphics engine, supporting real-time lip-syncing, AI gaze correction, emotional expressions, and multi-language capabilities. Huawei’s digital humans are used for tasks such as AI broadcasting, customer service, public policy communication, and live streaming, and are integrated into its AICC intelligent contact centers. Huawei has also implemented digital humans in events like live sign language broadcasts, and provides low-cost deployment options (such as the Flexus service) to support SMEs. The company has filed patents related to digital human generation and continues to promote real-time interaction, low-latency response, and privacy compliance.

Huawei Connect is Huawei’s annual flagship conference that focuses on information and communications technology (ICT) and digital transformation. It brings together industry leaders, technology experts, partners, and customers to showcase Huawei’s latest innovations, outline strategic directions, and discuss trends in areas such as cloud computing, 5G, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, and industry-specific digital solutions. The event typically includes keynote speeches, product launches, technical forums, partner exhibitions, and live demonstrations, serving as both a networking platform and a venue for announcing Huawei’s new technologies and business strategies.