Digital humans—virtual beings that appear more human than real people—are taking the lead in advertising and entertainment markets. One prominent figure, Lil Miquela, a digital influencer portrayed as a Brazilian-American, collaborates with luxury fashion brands and creates content for platforms like TikTok and YouTube. In 2022 alone, she generated $17 million in revenue. In Korea, “Rozy”, a local digital human, has appeared in commercials for hotels and automobile brands, steadily expanding her presence.
[Fig] Lil Miquela, a Prominent U.S. Digital Human
Digital humans are hyper-realistic virtual representations created using computer graphics (CG) technology. While their development used to require immense time and cost, recent advancements in AI, cloud computing, and rendering technologies have enabled faster and more cost-effective production, paving the way for commercialization.
[Fig] Core and Enabling Technologies Behind Digital Humans
Korean startup Cleon (CEO: Seunghyuk Jin) recently secured 9.5 billion KRW in Series A funding, recognizing its leadership in digital human generation technology. Cleon’s technology allows the creation of a digital human using just one facial photo and 30 seconds of voice data, and enables real-time interaction when combined with dialogue models like ChatGPT. Cleon’s digital humans are being actively applied in various sectors, especially entertainment and expert content, and the company plans to launch digital humans based on celebrity IPs (influencers, entertainers) by Q1 2024.
[Fig] Cleon’s Digital Human Generation Platform
Technological innovation in digital human development continues to accelerate. VIVE Studios (CEO: Saekyu Kim), a virtual production studio, has developed real-time optimized digital humans that adapt to dynamic virtual production workflows. Tricomtek (CEO: Heeseung Hwang), a metaverse company, has integrated digital human technology with its own educational metaverse platform. ETRI (Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute) has also developed a system that creates conversational digital humans from user-uploaded photos.
[Fig] “Jilju,” a Digital Human Developed by VIVE Studios
Looking ahead, digital humans are expected to evolve into true assistants and collaborators, as their interactivity and functional capabilities continue to improve. Enhanced realism, combined with emotional computing, will allow emotionally resonant interactions with humans. As digital humans integrate with RPA and large-scale AI, their roles will expand from task assistants to content creators, becoming virtual companions, coworkers, and co-creators. When combined with physical platforms such as robots and vehicles, digital humans could even enter and interact within the real world.
As digital humans continue to blur the boundaries between the virtual and real, their applications will spread across industries. It is time to explore how businesses and society can harness their potential to create new opportunities.
#DigitalHuman #AIHuman #Metaverse #DigitalTwin #VirtualReality #AugmentedReality #AR #VR
Digital humans—virtual beings that appear more human than real people—are taking the lead in advertising and entertainment markets. One prominent figure, Lil Miquela, a digital influencer portrayed as a Brazilian-American, collaborates with luxury fashion brands and creates content for platforms like TikTok and YouTube. In 2022 alone, she generated $17 million in revenue. In Korea, “Rozy”, a local digital human, has appeared in commercials for hotels and automobile brands, steadily expanding her presence.
[Fig] Lil Miquela, a Prominent U.S. Digital Human
Digital humans are hyper-realistic virtual representations created using computer graphics (CG) technology. While their development used to require immense time and cost, recent advancements in AI, cloud computing, and rendering technologies have enabled faster and more cost-effective production, paving the way for commercialization.
[Fig] Core and Enabling Technologies Behind Digital Humans
Korean startup Cleon (CEO: Seunghyuk Jin) recently secured 9.5 billion KRW in Series A funding, recognizing its leadership in digital human generation technology. Cleon’s technology allows the creation of a digital human using just one facial photo and 30 seconds of voice data, and enables real-time interaction when combined with dialogue models like ChatGPT. Cleon’s digital humans are being actively applied in various sectors, especially entertainment and expert content, and the company plans to launch digital humans based on celebrity IPs (influencers, entertainers) by Q1 2024.
[Fig] Cleon’s Digital Human Generation Platform
Technological innovation in digital human development continues to accelerate. VIVE Studios (CEO: Saekyu Kim), a virtual production studio, has developed real-time optimized digital humans that adapt to dynamic virtual production workflows. Tricomtek (CEO: Heeseung Hwang), a metaverse company, has integrated digital human technology with its own educational metaverse platform. ETRI (Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute) has also developed a system that creates conversational digital humans from user-uploaded photos.
[Fig] “Jilju,” a Digital Human Developed by VIVE Studios
Looking ahead, digital humans are expected to evolve into true assistants and collaborators, as their interactivity and functional capabilities continue to improve. Enhanced realism, combined with emotional computing, will allow emotionally resonant interactions with humans. As digital humans integrate with RPA and large-scale AI, their roles will expand from task assistants to content creators, becoming virtual companions, coworkers, and co-creators. When combined with physical platforms such as robots and vehicles, digital humans could even enter and interact within the real world.
As digital humans continue to blur the boundaries between the virtual and real, their applications will spread across industries. It is time to explore how businesses and society can harness their potential to create new opportunities.
#DigitalHuman #AIHuman #Metaverse #DigitalTwin #VirtualReality #AugmentedReality #AR #VR