The next generation of billboard topping artists may be completely virtual. Literally. Through a combination of emerging AI technology, changing consumer behavior, and business incentives, the next big thing in entertainment may not be a person at all — but rather a completely virtual entertainer indistinguishable from human performers.
The most important thing that is driving this trend is the quickly growing technology of Deepfake AI. For those who are not familiar, deepfake technology is essentially the result of computers getting much better at simulating reality. The technology has come so far that many people cannot distinguish deepfake images and video from the real deal. If you can create a virtual person that looks like the real deal, why not create your own singer-celebrity-superstar?
Recently the Korean entertainment industry has been leading this trend with major k-pop players experimenting with ‘AI members’ who may or may not be based on actual people. For example, SM Entertainment, one of the leading k-pop entertainment companies recently released a new girl group, Aespa, whose members are equipped with their own virtual avatars.
Another example is a Korean company called Pulse9, which has decided to take things a step further by debuting a k-pop girl group of completely virtual AI members. The group name is Eternity, which I assume is because the group could technically go on forever. The eleven members were ‘chosen’ through an online voting system. The company has released concept videos of its members and while they don’t look completely natural, it looks human enough to me. Take a look at Pulse9’s concept video for their group, Eternity, and judge for yourself.
Furthermore, consumers are also changing the way that they experience music and their favorite artists. More and more people are attending virtual concerts and shows, amplified by the effects of Covid-19. For example, a record number of 12M+ players attended Travis Scott’s in-game Fortnite concert with 10M+ attending Marshmello’s concert. And this trend only continues to grow with other online platforms holding musicals, concerts, etc as a result of Covid-19. While in-person concerts may make a comeback once things are back to normal, it will be hard to ignore the business incentives of fully virtual performances.
There is a strong business incentive for artist management companies and music labels to have virtual entertainers as their superstars. Virtual entertainers require fewer costs and fewer risks to manage. While there may be some upfront costs in initially making a virtual entertainer, once it is created the management company does not have to worry about traditional costs associated with the artists. A virtual entertainer is not going to demand an additional cut of the concert ticket sales, refuse to perform a fully booked concert because he/she is upset, or get canceled for an inflammatory tweet.
Other Sources
https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-deepfake
https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/23/21233637/travis-scott-fortnite-concert-astronomical-live-report