A new chapter for diverse applications and innovations.
The rapid advancement of digital technology has led to the progressive integration of digital beings, who play significant roles in the virtual world, into every aspect of our lives. Digital humans have frequently appeared in many significant events and fields, demonstrating their limitless potential and wide range of application prospects. Examples include the AI virtual human sign language anchor at the Beijing Winter Olympics, the digital human ignition ceremony at the Hangzhou Asian Games, the digital reporter of Xinhua News Agency, and the digital astronaut Xiao Zheng. We will delve into the ways that large models transform digital humans into this piece, along with the opportunities and difficulties that digital humans present across various domains. In order to serve as a resource for industry professionals, we will also examine the competitive landscape and emerging trends within the digital human sector.
Digital humans are not just amusing playmates for C-end users but also effective work and study assistants. In a comfortable and welcoming environment, users can practice speaking and engage in games with virtual people to better themselves. Digital humans, which are extensively employed in financial, film and television, e-commerce, live broadcast, and other industries, have emerged as a potent instrument for B-end firms seeking to enhance production efficiency and operational level.
However, despite the digital human industry’s explosive growth, there are still many obstacles to overcome before it can be widely implemented. Of them, the technical bottleneck is the most noticeable issue. The industry is facing a challenging issue that requires immediate attention: how to help digital humans overcome the perception that they are “just attractive” in the eyes of the public. Thankfully, the emergence of large-scale model technology appears to have signaled a new turning point in the evolution of digital humans. Large models, with their potent learning and generation powers, have given digital humans a new lease on life, increasing their expressiveness and intelligence.
Digital humans used to be highly expensive to produce and have a subpar interactive experience. Manufacturers must pour a lot of labor, money, and materials into modeling, driving, and rendering in order to pursue high-fidelity visual presentation. Still, it is challenging for digital beings to exhibit human-like emotional expressions and intelligent relationships. Due to this, the employment of digital humans has been restricted, mostly to pilot programs run by manufacturers or significant corporate clients.
But the development of huge models has fundamentally altered the landscape. With the use of technologies like motion simulation, emotional simulation, and deep learning, huge models can completely transform and empower digital humans. Large models, in the first place, lower the cost of producing digital humans. Manufacturers simply need a few minutes of real-life footage and several hours of training time to make realistic digital human images, thanks to AI algorithms and large-scale data training.
This lowers expenses and boosts manufacturing efficiency, bringing digital humans closer to the general public and increasing their popularity. Digital people now possess a higher level of intelligence because of large models. Conventional digital people lack true intelligence and interactive capabilities and can only respond in accordance with the input unified script. Digital humans now have better emotional expression and sophisticated interactive skills because of the empowerment of massive models. They have the ability to actively start conversations and topics and react in real time to user input. As a result, virtual companions who are digital people become more sophisticated and more intimate with humans.
One common example is the release of Xiling Digital Human by Baidu Smart Cloud. With the aid of the large model, Xiling Digital Human is able to quickly finish the building of the live broadcast room, generate speech, and carry out simple audience interactions. The Xiling digital human anchor in the live broadcast room of a catering brand earned 85% of the actual anchor’s GMV at 15% of the real anchor’s expense. This accomplishment amply illustrates the enormous possibilities and benefits that digital humans provide in the realm of live broadcasting. Xiling digital humans are extensively utilized in video production as digital employees, digital human spokespersons, and other application scenarios, in addition to the live broadcasting industry. The Xiling platform can create unique sound libraries and portraits in just 30 minutes of training time and 5 minutes of real-world video with the help of the large model. The education sector has greatly benefited from this function. Using virtual human teachers to teach lowers expenses while increasing student engagement and efficiency.
It goes without saying that the production of digital beings is not easy. Due to the influx of numerous enterprises into the market, industry competitiveness has intensified and grown more standardized. Some producers have started to employ a price war approach in order to compete for market share and user resources, which has led to a downward trend in the cost of digital humans. But this price battle isn’t a sustainable answer. The industry cannot thrive sustainably unless technological innovation and application expansion are prioritized.
As a result, producers must continuously investigate novel application scenarios and technological advancements. In the realm of entertainment, digital humans can take on the roles of virtual idols or actors to take part in the filming and performance of films, TV shows, and other works; in the medical field, for instance, they can act as virtual doctors or nurses to provide remote consultation and nursing services to patients; in the public service sector, they can take on the roles of virtual tour guides or customer service representatives to offer users more convenient and individualized services.
In summary, the digital human sector is facing both new opportunities and challenges due to the growth of huge models. Digital humans will eventually shed the stereotype of having “just a nice appearance” and develop into more sophisticated, engaging, and varied virtual partners who enhance people’s lives and work through technological advancement and application growth.
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