| Highlights for June 2024
Government and Public Services Context The Abu Dhabi Ministry of Justice has deployed “Aisha,” an AI digital human designed to assist in legal proceedings, highlighting a formal governmental application of virtual beings in administrative functions. Similarly, Kezuohouqi in China has implemented an “AI digital person” in a government service livestream room for public consultation, indicating early adoption of AI personas in administrative outreach. Another case from China involves the 12345 government hotline, which incorporated an AI-powered sign language system to enhance accessibility for the hearing-impaired, applying AI-driven avatars to interpret and respond using sign language in real-time. Healthcare and Education Context The Holocaust Educational Trust launched a project where students can engage in face-to-face conversations with virtual replicas of Holocaust survivors and explore historical sites through virtual reality. These AI-based simulations combine historical fidelity with interactive digital characters, aiming to preserve survivor testimonies and enhance education. Meanwhile, Steve DiPaola at Simon Fraser University’s iVizLab developed an expressive AI bot trained on climate change knowledge, which demonstrates the use of virtual beings in educational outreach by combining emotional expressivity with domain expertise. Enterprise and Productivity Context Synthesia 2.0 has advanced enterprise video communications by introducing full-body avatars capable of expanded motion and enabling interactive video experiences where users can engage directly with the digital avatar. This development positions virtual humans as integral tools in corporate communication. The company Reply, in partnership with AWS, also received the AWS Generative AI Competency and is leveraging emotional AI assistants with empathetic responses for tasks such as intelligent code review and automated coding, further demonstrating the utility of virtual agents in professional environments. Similarly, Captions, an AI-powered creative studio, allows users to cast hyper-realistic avatars and tailor production elements such as camera angles, lighting, wardrobe, and backgrounds, enabling corporate and independent creators to produce digital content efficiently without physical setups. Entertainment and Gaming Context Bitpart.AI has contributed to game development by enhancing digital characters with pre-trained AI models designed to make virtual beings more emotionally resonant and intelligent, particularly within virtual games. Another notable gaming-related tool includes a plugin that organizes and controls avatar movements in real time using motion capture technology. This has been adopted in various creative environments to enhance avatar realism and performance control. Ubitus and the Matsuo Institute unveiled an AI digital human at an event, leveraging Ubitus’ cloud gaming expertise to showcase the digital human’s real-time capabilities, specifically targeting Asian markets. Marketing and Influencer Context South African creator Kambule introduced Kim Zulu in 2019, naming her the first African virtual influencer. Kim Zulu, a digital model, represents a milestone in the regional virtual influencer industry. Kambule continues to manage Kim Zulu’s activities, contributing to her development as a brand figure in the virtual modeling space. Cultural and Public Engagement Context Interactive AI kiosks have been deployed to provide public-facing AI experiences where users communicate with virtual beings via voice commands. These kiosks offer immersive, conversational engagements with AI personas, reflecting a broader trend in the integration of digital characters into public spaces for information, entertainment, and service functions. Vozard, a voice-changing platform developed by iMobie, has been recognized for its AI-enhanced voice realism, which supports the creation and modulation of synthetic characters in various creative applications. |
See also:
[]