Adam, who made his official debut in January 1998, was a virtual human realized in 3D graphics. Provided by Adamsoft
Do you remember the ‘cyber singer’ Adam who gave a fresh shock to the music industry in the 90s? Adam, who made his official debut in January 1998, is a virtual human embodied in 3D graphics.
Of course, because of the limitations of past technology, he looked more like a 3D cartoon character rather than a ‘virtual human’, but Adam’s popularity left a considerable result. His first album sold a whopping 200,000 copies, and not only did he have an actual fan club, but also various MDs with his image were sold with popularity.
After the failure of the second album, Adam quietly disappeared leaving behind rumors of death due to a computer virus, and rumors of military enlistment. Provided by Adamsoft
However, after the failure of the second album, Adam quietly disappeared leaving behind rumors of death due to computer virus, and rumors of military enlistment. It was because the popularity and the revenue generated were not as large as the cost invested. However, at that time, Adam, who appeared as a weapon with a fairly specific profile and worldview of ‘a 20-year-old cyber singer with a sculptural appearance with a height of 178 cm and a weight of 68 kg’, was an opportunity to suggest the potential for development of a virtual human.
And now, after about 20 years, the era of virtual humans is opening again in the domestic entertainment industry. In the meantime, artificial intelligence (AI) technology that has improved remarkably and the metaverse (three-dimensional virtual world) that has now permeated our lives have become the basis for the evolution of virtual humans.
Rosie is the most representative example that makes you think about the current state of AI-based virtual human technology and the ripple effect that such technology will have on the entertainment industry in the future. Shinhan Life’s official YouTube capture
Rosie, who has recently received a lot of advertisements and pictorials starting with SNS, is the most representative example that makes you think about the current state of AI-based virtual human technology and the ripple effect that such technology will have on the entertainment industry in the future.
Rosie’s official title is ‘Virtual Influencer’. Rosie SNS
Rosie, who currently has a whopping 46,000 SNS followers, is the official title of ‘Virtual Influencer’. A virtual human created by combining the facial features most preferred by the MZ generation, 800 facial expressions, and the body photographed through the body band through 3D modeling technology, he is a virtual human being created by his own personality and worldview. established himself as a writer. Rosie explains the worldview of ‘an ENFP-type virtual human who is interested in fashion, who never ages from the current age of 22’. He travels all over the world even in the time of Corona 19 using the characteristics of a virtual human, and takes ‘certificate shots’ in places that are difficult to visit in reality and posts them on social media from time to time.
Rosie caught the public’s attention with her splendid dance skills and unique visuals in a TV commercial, and rose to a ‘A-class influencer’ at once. Rosie SNS
The reaction to the TV commercial in which he appeared is also unusual. Rosie’s advertisement video, released on the 1st of last month, has now surpassed 20 million views on YouTube. Rosie, who had previously known her face to the MZ generation mainly through SNS and pictorials, caught the public’s attention with her splendid dance skills and unique visuals in the advertisement, and quickly emerged as an ‘A-class influencer’. It’s worth noting that even when Rosie’s ad crossed 10 million views, most people didn’t even know he was a virtual human. After Rosie’s existence became a hot topic, it became known that Rosie was not a real human but a virtual human realized with 3D technology, which provided shock and freshness to many people at the same time.
But even after the fact that he was a virtual human began to be publicly revealed, there was little risk. The MZ generation, who have already become accustomed to the metaverse worldview through various contents, recognized Rosie as a fresh influencer, instead of accepting Rosie’s existence as heterogeneous, and Rosie gradually expanded her field of activity. Currently, Rosie is active in her first TV commercial as well as car and food commercials, and she is proudly appearing as a ‘model’ in famous fashion magazines. In addition to this, while it is known that he is sending endless love calls to Rosie, a rising icon of the MZ generation in various fields, the profit he will earn is expected to be substantial.
After Rosie’s success, Sidus X, who developed Rosie, has announced that it plans to debut a three-member male virtual idol group by the end of this year. In addition, various companies are introducing AI-based human influencers and idol groups, and it is predicted that the AI virtual human market will gradually expand. The reaction of the MZ generation towards them is as hot as Rosie.
Concepts using AI have already started in earnest in the music industry. The picture is Espa and their avatars. Provided by SM Entertainment
Concepts using AI have already started in earnest in the music industry. It was the group Aespa, which debuted last year, that started off properly. As the first runner in SMCU (SM Culture Universe), which opened with the introduction of SM Executive Producer Lee Soo-man, “The future world will be a world of celebrities and AI,” Espa is a member of the virtual reality avatar, Ai. It presented an unconventional, future-oriented concept of communicating through sync.
Based on the worldview of leaving to the ‘KWANGYA’ to find the ‘Black Mamba’ who interrupted their connection with the avatar member ‘Ai’ implemented with AI technology and threw the world into chaos, they continue their activities after their debut. is in progress Real ‘children’ often appear in their music videos as well as on music broadcasts, consolidating Espa’s worldview. In the case of Espa, various opinions were poured out about AI avatars at the time of their debut, but they are erasing the concerns surrounding them by using ‘eye’ to build a worldview.
The advantages of AI-based virtual humans that have broken down public prejudice through advanced technology, a solid worldview, and active communication are clear. Existing stars can handle schedules that cannot be easily digested due to schedule reasons or restrictions on space movement, and they can quickly accommodate the changing needs of the public and maintain their influence as ‘like influencers’ for a long time. am. Also, the fact that privacy noise does not occur is an attractive point for advertisers.
The presence of ‘virtual humans’ is growing day by day in the rapidly changing development of digital technology and the growing metaverse market. The rapid growth of those who have even received advertisements and pictorials suggests the possibility that they can grow to a position no less than the stars who are currently leading the entertainment industry. Of course, there are still many hurdles to overcome before they grow into stars with more popular fame and influence. It remains to be seen whether the virtual humans who have come back after 20 years of ‘Adam’ will become the protagonists that cause a seismic change in the entertainment industry.
Hyemin Hong reporter hhm@hankookilbo.com
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