AI Star Mila Headlines Golden Melody Festival's Virtual Idols Discussion
At the opening pitching session of the event, industry leaders gathered to explore a frontier that's quickly becoming less science fiction and more pop reality: AI-generated virtual artists.
More from Variety
Blackpink Firm YG Entertainment's Mojo Kim Talks K-Pop's Global Strategy at Golden Melody Festival: 'It's About Emotional Language'
Recording Academy President Panos A. Panay Talks Cross-Cultural Creativity at Taipei's Golden Melody Festival: 'Your Truth Is Your Superpower'
CJ ENM Unveils Artificial Intelligence Strategy With Debut of 100% AI-Generated Animation 'Cat Biggie'
Titled 'Creating the Artist of the Future: An AI × Metaverse Innovation Lab,' the talk introduced Mila, a virtual singer powered by AI and designed to exist seamlessly within the metaverse. On stage, Enjoy Record Co.'s CEO Eric Chen and Inventec Corporation's senior VP Chaucer Chiu discussed the opportunities and philosophies behind this synthetic starlet.
Mila isn't just a 3D avatar with a synthesized voice. She's the result of a complex ecosystem that includes AI-driven personality development, real-time interaction in the metaverse, and cultural hybridization in her visual and vocal identity. Her creation involved everything from sound engineering and text-to-speech software to AI computing servers.
She represents 'an extension of human emotion' and a new blueprint for fan-artist relationships. 'The emotional connection between virtual idols and fans is, in fact, no weaker than with real artists,' Chen told Variety. 'On the contrary, it can more easily overcome limitations of language, geography, and time.'
When developing the virtual singer, the team discovered that AI-powered personality design, interactive voice functions, and tailored social media content enabled fans to engage with her around the clock, which can lead to emotional bonds.
'This 'co-creative companionship' allows for a scalable connection that is difficult for traditional artists to achieve,' said Chen.
Still, the path to virtual stardom is fraught with creative and ethical questions. From a technical standpoint, the goal is to make virtual artists feel both natural and distinct, but the real creative challenge lies in giving them a sense of 'soul,' in making audiences believe there's more behind the avatar than just code and synthesis.
Just as crucial is ensuring that an AI artist's personality doesn't cross cultural or ethical boundaries. 'Everything from her behavior and language to visual identity must go through a responsible design and review process,' said Chen. 'As music producers, we also pay close attention to attribution, originality, and emotional authenticity in creative works. These are the ethical issues we need to scrutinize most in virtual music creation.'
Looking ahead, Chen said that AI music will become more widespread, but its chart-topping potential still depends on something algorithms can't manufacture: human touch and emotional resonance.
'We don't see AI as a replacement, but as a collaborator,' Chen explained. 'The future of the mainstream market might involve 'AI-assisted creation,' 'AI-optimized production processes,' and even 'AI personality artists charting,' but the core will remain the resonance of content and value. Without that resonance, even the most powerful algorithms will just be background music.'
Best of Variety
Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nvidia, Microsoft, Palantir Lead Wedbush's Top Tech Bets on $2T AI Boom
July 4 - Wedbush Securities projects a more than 10% gain for major tech stocks in the second half of 2025, driven by a surge in enterprise and government AI spending. The top five picks are Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), Meta Platforms (META), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Palantir (NASDAQ:PLTR) and Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA). Analysts estimate roughly $2 trillion will flow into AI initiatives over the next three years, unlocking new use cases and boosting demand for both software and semiconductors. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 4 Warning Signs with NVDA. Wedbush points to recent strength in tech amid tariff and geopolitical headwinds as a prelude to further market outperformance. They highlight the rollout of large language models and the true adoption of generative AI in corporate settings as key catalysts for renewed rallies. With enterprise consumption set to accelerate, we believe software and chip leaders are well positioned to lead this AI Revolution' through 2026, the note added. Investors will watch second?half earnings and AI deployment updates closely to see if these leaders can sustain the momentum. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Top Analyst Sees More Upside for Nvidia (NVDA); $185 Price Target Signals Room to Run
Nvidia (NVDA, Financials) already stormed past a $3.9 trillion market cap this year; but according to one top Wall Street analyst, the run may be far from over. Vijay Rakesh of Mizuho Securities a 5-star-rated analyst just bumped his price target on Nvidia to $185, up from $170, while reiterating a Buy rating. That implies about 16% upside from current levels; and yes, that's after a year where the stock has already climbed 27%. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 4 Warning Signs with NVDA. Rakesh isn't just bullish on momentum he's leaning into product strength, long-term demand, and Nvidia's ability to outmaneuver export restrictions with new chip strategies. The analyst sees Nvidia pulling in $202 billion in revenue for FY2026, up from prior estimates; and $4.38 in earnings per share, both slightly ahead of Street consensus. He's confident the company can continue outperforming as AI workloads expand, and its flagship GB200 chips remain hot sellers into late 2025. One of the more interesting parts of the note? Rakesh pointed to Nvidia's B40 chip designed for China as a hedge in case trade rules relax. While shipments are currently blocked, he sees this as a sign Nvidia's not backing down from the market; just waiting for the door to reopen. Then there's Rubin, Nvidia's next-gen platform expected to ramp in 2026; that, combined with ongoing demand from hyperscalers, could set the stage for another growth cycle even after the monster gains seen over the last 18 months. Rakesh adjusted his valuation multiple as well; he's now applying a 32.7x multiple on FY2027 earnings, a modest bump from before but still justified, he argues, given Nvidia's sheer dominance across AI data centers, enterprise compute, and cutting-edge inference hardware. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Zuck Bucks Are Back -- And This Time They're Fueling Meta's AI Comeback
Meta (META, Financials) is diving headfirst into the race for Artificial Superintelligence and this time, it's not holding back. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reignited the term Zuck Bucks; once a nickname for campaign donations, it's now shorthand for eight- and nine-figure signing packages aimed at luring the best AI minds in the world, according to a Reuters report. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 6 Warning Sign with META. Faced with talent losses and a disappointing release of its Llama 4 model, Meta has ramped up hiring and it's not being subtle. From a $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI to attempts at poaching Safe Superintelligence's Ilya Sutskever, Meta is making one thing clear: it wants back in the lead. Zuckerberg reportedly failed to recruit Sutskever but may be close to landing SSI co-founder Daniel Gross and NFDG's Nat Friedman. These aren't just star names they're magnets; and Meta hopes they'll help rebuild a team that's been bleeding to labs like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind. Meanwhile, Meta is forming an elite Superintelligence unit to push the boundaries of what AI can do. But internal divisions remain; Meta's Chief AI Scientist Yann LeCun has publicly questioned the long-term viability of large language models the very thing the company's top rivals are doubling down on. To complicate matters, Meta is betting on a mix of technologies: reasoning-based LLMs, multimodal AI, and even geopolitical hedges. For example, it's developing a new B40 chip tailored for the Chinese market, just in case export restrictions eventually ease. Zuckerberg's bet? Talent first; product later. This isn't classic M&A it's AI land-grabbing. Meta is willing to buy pre-product, pre-revenue startups if it means acquiring breakthrough IP and elite researchers. Profitability can wait; ASI supremacy can't. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio
