Alibaba Digital Media Group Debuts First Virtual Idol
Qian Tongxin
DATE:  May 11 2023
/ SOURCE:  Yicai
Alibaba Digital Media Group Debuts First Virtual Idol Alibaba Digital Media Group Debuts First Virtual Idol

(Yicai Global) May 11 -- Alibaba Digital Media and Entertainment Group, one of Alibaba Group Holding’s six business groups, debuted Leah, its first virtual idol, during the opening ceremony of the third Beyond Expo that opened yesterday.

Artificial intelligence-generated content is changing the digital entertainment industry, said Joseph Tsai, executive vice chairman of Hangzhou-based online retailer Alibaba. It used to take days to make a campaign poster for large firms, but now it is done in an hour, he noted.

“Managing sports stars is as difficult as managing Hollywood stars,” Tsai, who also owns the Brooklyn Nets basketball team, pointed out. “With technological improvements, digital figures can be used as advertising endorsers to solve the issue.”

Whether machines will outsmart humans is unknown, but they cannot copy some human instincts, such as hunger, and face-to-face contact, Tsai said about AI’s performance in creative fields.

“As ChatGPT came into existence last year, AIGC will become an important factor in changing the tech industry,” Tsai added. “AIGC will be particularly important for the online retail and e-commerce fields I work in.”

The Beyond Expo is Asia’s leading event showcasing the latest technologies and trends, with the three-day event this year being the first in-person after the easing of Covid-19 curbs. Several Chinese tech firms, including Aerofugia, Xag, Shanghai Changjin Biotechnology, iFlytek, and China State Construction, launched new products at the expo.

Editors: Shi Yi, Martin Kadiev

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Keywords:   Alibaba