Virtual idols make a splash
Computer-generated, AI influencers set the entertainment and social media scenes abuzz
It seemed like just another talent show when China Central Television unveiled photos of 36 contestants for Bravo Youngsters on Nov 19. But a closer look reveals one woman who is a bit different from the others.
The seemingly flawless 25-year-old Beijing woman, Ling, is a social media influencer, whose realistic appearance is computer-generated.
She behaves like an actual human social media star. Her Sina Weibo feed is a mix of photos of her daily life, including attending fashion events and promoting designer clothes and brands.
She has attracted over 68,000 followers on the platform since her first post: “I’m Ling. I’m here.”
She will perform onstage at the show, which will be broadcast on CCTV 3 every Sunday.
“I love traditional Chinese culture, especially Peking Opera, calligraphy and tai chi. I hope that I can interpret these art forms in my own way on the stage,” Ling posted on her Weibo account on Nov 22.
She explains that her name, Ling, comes from the feathered headdress worn in Peking Opera.
“Bravo Youngsters will provide a national stage to let more people know Ling,” said Chen Yan, founder of Beijing Next Generation Culture Media, the company behind Ling.
Ling was created by Next Generation studio and Shanghai artificial intelligence startup Xmov.
Xmov founder Chai Jinxiang told the media-technology site 36Kr that the company’s artificial-intelligence animated-performance technology generates Ling’s facial expressions and gestures.
Her participation in Bravo Youngsters has gone viral and has been viewed over 72 million times. Some netizens are curious about how and what she will perform, while some say the shape of her eyes feeds into stereotypes about Asian women.
Chen explained that her eyes are designed to look good while wearing Peking Opera makeup.
“We’re happy to see Ling get so much attention online,” Chen said.
“Some comments even mentioned details like her nails. Although she is virtual, she is not perfect like we humans are.”
He said it will take time for people to better know Ling, as more details about her life will be posted online.
“We aim to build her into a web influencer interested in guofeng (Chinese national style). She breaks down the barriers between the real and virtual worlds as an ‘IT’ girl, who wants to promote Chinese culture around the world,” Chen said, adding that she will later open accounts on other social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
Ling has inked partnerships with brands, including the fashion magazine Vogue, US electric-car maker Tesla and milk-tea producer Nayuki.
Early next year, Ling will release her first single, which will lead her to work with lauded collaborators, Chen said.
Next Generation was established in 2016 and funded by venture-capital companies like Shunwei Capital, Lighthouse Capital and UniMedia.
In China, a growing number of companies have tried animated avatars to lure young clients — mostly Generation Z (people born between
the mid-1990s and early 2000s) — who grew up in the internet era.
Chen believes digital characters have significant commercial advantages compared with real humans. They are cheap, never tired and brand-safe.
In addition to Ling, Next Generation has created virtual alter egos for singer Huang Zitao and actress Dilraba Dilmura.
“Such virtual creations modeled off celebrities can help build closer connections and enable new interactions with fans because human stars’ time and energy are limited,” Chen said, adding that two or three such celebrity avatars will be released next year.
Its digital DJ Purple is competing in the ongoing Dimension Nova, an iQiyi talent show for virtual contestants.
Three human judges will select the next big star from dozens of digital characters. These avatars require people to do the singing, dancing and other performances behind the scenes, with motion tracking allowing the avatars to match the movements.
Although the virtual competition has received mix reactions, with some calling it “awkward” and “technologically challenged”, iQiyi said in a statement that the company hopes it will help the platform “forge a strong bond with young viewers”.
The virtual-idol concept originated in Japan and has become increasingly popular in China. They are almost everywhere, from holographic concerts and talent shows to e-commerce livestreaming platforms.
Statistics from market consultancy iResearch show the country’s ACG (animation, comics and games) fan base is expected to reach 410 million by the end of this year.
Fifteen-year-old Luo Tianyi, for one, has taken China’s virtual pop scene by storm. The computer-generated artist has over 4.7 million followers on Sina Weibo and more than 2 million fans on Bilibili, and performed with China’s world-celebrated pianist Lang Lang last year.
The subculture’s market value will grow from more than 194 billion yuan ($29.5 billion) last year to 210 billion yuan by 2022, Citic Securities predicts.
Virtual idols have hit headlines outside of China and are expected to become the future of fashion.
The latest is aespa, a K-pop girl group with South Korea’s SM Entertainment agency. The band debuted last month with the digital single, Black Mamba. The group includes four human members and their virtual counterparts.
The agency said aespa is “the first project of SM Culture Universe that will open the start of entertainment in the future”.
Early this year, the World Health Organization teamed up with a digital avatar, Knox Frost, to help spread information about COVID-19 to younger audiences. Frost is a 20-yearold man from Atlanta with over 1.1 million Instagram followers.
Bilibili, a Chinese video-streaming website that is regarded as a haven for youth subculture, announced that 30 virtual entertainers from China and Japan, including Kizuna Ai, will perform in its 11th Bilibili Macro Link event in Shanghai on Dec 19.
“We believe that there is tremendous potential in the synergy between virtual idols and Bilibili’s multiple business segments, including live broadcasting, advertising, games, tiein products and offline events,” Bilibili’s CEO Rui Chen said in a previous statement.
Although still in an early phase in China, the virtual- influencer industry has captured the interest of a growing number of domestic internet companies, agencies and investors.
Chen Zhe, with the venture capital company Frees Fund, told businessand-technology portal TMTPost that the rise of virtual influencers will bring challenges and opportunities.
“On one hand, they have great advantages. Unlike human influencers who will get old, or may become embroiled in some sort of scandal, digital influencers are young, flexible, manageable and controllable,” he said.
“On the other, the market needs more localized virtual influencers whose content design is tailored to connect with Chinese, and more modes of commercial collaboration need to be explored.”
Chen Yan points out that influencers like Ling are virtual, but their influence is real.
And they will bring big changes to the entertainment and fashion sectors in the near future.