Era of ‘digital humans’
business. optimism expresses He believes Zhang about But full the still that the will with concept continue technological of “AI to evolve. resurrection” progress, In the human future, products there will such be as more digital AI digital immortality to a short and video digital or a companionship, chatbot. in addition Some other observers echoed Zhang’s sentiment. They pointed out that “digital resurrection” is an emerging subdivision of digital humans while the industry is moving toward a new stage of AI-driven, tool-based, and low-cost with the empowerment of large models.
At present, digital humans mainly appear as intelligent customer service representatives on e-commerce platforms and public service portals, and they are also showing huge application potential in the consumer market, such as in the field of education. But as technology advances and demand evolves, the application market for digital humans will further broaden. It is a trend for more middle and small teams flooding into the industry to provide human solutions for small merchants and individuals, according to industry insiders and observers.
According to data from iMedia Research, in 2022, the market size of this industry reached 12.08 billion yuan, while also driving the surrounding market size to reach 186.61 billion yuan. It is estimated that by 2025, the core market size of virtual digital humans will reach 48.06 billion yuan, and the surrounding market size driven by such growth may be close to 640.27 billion yuan.
Regulations are also on the way. In 2019, China issued principles of next-generation AI governance. In 2021, the country published the “Ethical Norms for the New Generation Artificial Intelligence,” aiming to guide activities in the entire lifecycle. In 2023, China further released its regulations on deep synthesis Internet information services and Interim Measures for the Management of Generative Artificial Intelligence Services to boost AI development while safeguarding cybersecurity.
Chinese social media platforms have also enacted specific measures for users in terms of producing AI-generated content, vowing strict punishment for those who violate the rules by using AI to generate virtual characters to publish content that goes against scientific knowledge, fabricates information and spreads rumors.
The era of one “digital human” per person is coming, industry insiders said.