Virtual Beings Links 2024-12 (December)

Highlights from December 2024

Healthcare and Elder Care

Beyond AI launched AiMA, a digital human designed for elderly care, unveiled at COMEUP 2024. AiMA aims to assist seniors by offering personalized support through AI-powered interactions. Another initiative, VHP4Safety, involves virtual humans in personalized healthcare and safety regulation, combining scientific accuracy with intuitive interfaces. United Imaging Intelligence also introduced an AI-powered digital human integrating speech recognition, multimodal AI, and embodied intelligence for human-like interaction in medical contexts. In Saudi Arabia, Masdr and UneeQ co-developed “Labeeb,” a digital human designed to enhance customer interaction in business environments but adaptable for public services. UneeQ further emphasizes ethical standards for its digital humans under its “AI for Good” framework.

Entertainment and Culture

The ABBA Voyage concert residency in the UK, featuring hyper-realistic digital avatars of the band, contributed £1.4 billion to the UK economy, highlighting digital humans’ impact in immersive live performance. TV Tokyo showcased “AI Tanaka Hitomi,” an AI avatar replicating the voice, knowledge, and appearance of host Hitomi Tanaka for a special broadcast. VR theater experiences with virtual actors, such as “Welcome to Respite,” blended AI narration and immersive staging. The AI VTuber “Neuro-sama,” developed by Vedal, redefined the boundaries of virtual entertainers using real-time AI-driven dialogue. Leo Li’s CES 2025 project brought a digital version of Leonardo da Vinci to life using Unreal Engine’s Metahuman system and Convai, creating an educational AI companion. At an exhibition in Taiwan, a virtual ambassador promoted Dunhuang cultural heritage, illustrating the use of avatars in digital cultural preservation.

Marketing and Branding

Digital humans and avatars are widely used in digital marketing. YKONE CMO Stéphane Allard explored AI influencers’ opportunities and limitations. In Indonesia, a study confirmed virtual influencers on Instagram significantly enhance brand awareness. Another study emphasized curiosity as a key driver in engaging virtual influencers, recommending marketing strategies that provoke user interest. Narrative analyses of Miquela Sousa highlighted her present-tense microblogging and mixed interactions with real and virtual figures as mechanisms enhancing perceived authenticity. DeepMind’s Genie 2, integrated into marketing strategies through generative AI, demonstrates increasing reliance on synthetic personas. AI-generated avatars are also used in localized influencer videos, helping SMEs reduce content creation costs. MeetKai and the Detroit Pistons launched “Detroit Pistons World,” a virtual fan space driven by MeetKai’s digital twin technology, merging sports branding with virtual environments.

Gaming and Virtual Worlds

Gaming environments show deep integration of synthetic characters. The RoyaLand Company Ltd. embedded AI-powered NPCs into its royalty-themed game TheRoyal.Land to boost player engagement. RichCast, founded in 2020, lets users design audio-integrated, immersive narratives without programming. Will Wright’s Proxi contrasts with The Sims by centering memory-based simulation of player experiences, reflecting evolving AI design. Manchester City collaborated with Ready Player Me and HiberWorld to launch branded avatar skins for fans. Roblox supports avatar customization via its game engine, with development roles focused on motion control and animation for virtual humans. A Copenhagen-based studio is also hiring NPC AI designers to enhance realism and emotional responsiveness in AI characters. “Portalis,” an avatar and chatbot platform, allows users to build customizable, real-time digital avatars with features like lip sync and camera control. A separate project aims to convert 2D images into 3D avatars with full facial and body movement. In gaming, avatars serve as digital identities, enriching user immersion.

Enterprise and Corporate Applications

Digital humans are increasingly used in enterprise settings. In corporate training, AI avatars deliver adaptive learning, performance tracking, and personalized feedback. Proto introduced its autonomous AI-hologram agent at SXSW 2025, featuring multilingual avatars for use in livestreaming, corporate messaging, and training. HeyGen’s avatars can be localized into over 170 languages and are applied across marketing and internal communications. Migu, a China Mobile subsidiary, secured a patent for virtual image generation and provides services in entertainment and enterprise content. AKOOL and LiveX AI, founded by IEEE Fellow Jia Li, partnered to develop AI tools for SaaS platforms and contact centers. Startia uses generative AI and digital humans in investor relations, recruitment, and business development. Microsoft’s new Copilot feature “Live Portraits” gives animated avatar identities to its AI assistant, integrating personal branding into productivity tools.

Technology Development and Platforms

Multiple platforms support the development and deployment of digital humans. Soul Machines offered internships focused on digital human creation in New York. iFlytek Zhizuo launched a platform for hyper-realistic digital humans, enabling video/audio content generation. A newly established national production center in China aims to support the digital human sector. Evovor Technologies specializes in lifelike AI-powered digital humans and 3D avatars. Fujian Lianzheng filed a patent for multi-modal perception in virtual humans, enhancing their capacity to read user behavior and emotions. The Nymeria dataset contributes to digital human development by improving animation and contextual responsiveness. Beijing Yiqiyuan Visual Technology Co., Ltd. emphasizes digital humans’ industrial applications within the metaverse. A novel “TCAN” framework introduces diffusion models and temporal control for single-image human animation. A separate framework utilizes large language models to create emotionally responsive NPCs for open-ended gameplay.

Cultural and Ethical Perspectives

A study on psychological alignment found that AI companions modeled on user traits promote stronger bonds and emotional investment. Another paper explored the transmission of intergenerational trauma in artificial human families, reflecting deeper psychological modeling in synthetic agents. The role of Kami, the world’s first virtual influencer, was analyzed as a cultural phenomenon, emphasizing symbolism in synthetic identity. Ethical oversight remains critical, with UneeQ following a formal code of ethics for its digital humans. At a UK defence conference, human digital twins (HDTs) were proposed for simulation, biomedical research, and training. D-ID’s security framework focuses on protecting electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) in digital human deployments.

Livestreaming and E-Commerce

AI digital humans are used in livestreaming and online sales. Chinese strategies emphasize in-house development for entrepreneurs and external turnkey solutions. Real-world applications include AI avatars promoting products in livestreams based on a single user portrait. Juchuang Video explored the use of AI digital tour guides, while OHMYSYNT helped AliExpress bring an AI mascot to life, enhancing personalization and continuity in e-commerce presentations. A structured series by HeyGen Academy provides education on AI video creation for commercial use.

Virtual Identity and Digital Immortality

Digital humans are also leveraged for identity extension and memory preservation. A Chinese social app supports the creation of custom virtual characters and interactive environments, proposing a model of eternal digital life. Another initiative explores preserving memories through AI-generated content, targeting SMEs expanding internationally. Manifold Valley, discussed on the Lightcone podcast, highlighted startups enabled by LLMs, including hyper-realistic virtual beings. The December 2024 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Digital Human Forum confirmed digital humans as the most prominent AI development track in China.