Technological progress is the fundamental driving force behind the popularity Number List of virtual humans.
In 1985, Channel 4 of British Carlton TV decided to launch a music video program of its own, but in the United Kingdom at that time, similar programs emerged one after another, and it was not easy for new programs to gain popularity quickly.
The team led by director Rocky Morton came up with a new approach: make a fuss about the host.
When the show aired next, what appeared on the TV screen was the "AI host" Max Headroom in a dark suit, usually with a pair of sunglasses.
Later, the outside world called Max Headroom "the first computer-generated TV presenter".
However, this so-called "AI host" was actually a fake AI, and the computing technology at that time was not advanced enough, and the full-motion, voice-synchronized head could not be used for TV series. So aside from the character's promotion, the actual image of Max Headroom was not computer-generated, but played by real actors who had to go through up to four and a half hours of make-up for the shoot.
After nearly 40 years, virtual humans more advanced than Max Headroom have begun to enter the public's field of vision on a large scale.
This time, it is a real virtual person. They can bring goods live, they can talk to people like a human customer service, or they can perform on the stage like a star.
As more and more virtual people begin to appear, this emerging industry has also ushered in a round of explosive growth. More and more companies have entered the game, and their exploration of business models has become more and more clear.
In this article, we will focus on discussing: what kind of industry is virtual human? Is its technical barrier high? Why make money?
1. Evolution: How do virtual humans become more and more human-like?
Max Headroom was born in the embryonic stage of virtual human, and the world's first virtual singer Lin Mingmei also appeared in the same period.
However, in the 1980s, the degree of anthropomorphism of these virtual people was very low, mainly relying on hand-painted production, and only realized the imitation of human beings in appearance.