With the rise of technology, Artificial Intelligence is no longer an alien notion to the public.
In fact, it's so popular that not only tech firms are leveraging it onto their business,
but also entertainment giants are doing the same. In the KPOP industry, no other than
SM, the pioneer of exotic ideas, takes the risks of bringing the AI idols concept into
the mainstream. To open up this new era of KPOP, the company seems to have prepared for
ages because a while ago, Lee Soo Man, founder of SM, stated that idols will soon step over
the line of real and virtual worlds thanks to the technology of AI and Avatar. Moreover,
considering the fact that many famous artists have been caught up in scandals, bringing
virtual idols into the game seems to be quite a good move for the agency to somewhat avoid
such things in the future.
In South Korea, before Aespa, Riot Games has already utilized AI and Avatar technologies
to create the girl group K/DA and attract tons of positive reactions. Yet, despite tons
of intriguing things about to happen, the opinions toward this trend are clearly polarized.
The plus side of this virtual idol trend is that agencies can now create more categories
to enhance idol - fan experiences. By that, it means fans can now not only interact, listen
to music and go to concerts of real idols but they can now do the same with the virtual
ones. Especially amid this terrible Covid-19 pandemic where social distancing left fans
with no chance to attend fan signs and concerts, fans will for sure benefit from this trend
a lot. In addition to the diversity in idol - fan experiences, this trend will also create
a soft spot for companies to exploit. Here, entertainment can invest in tech firms to
create more realistic experiences and in return, tech firms can also expand their territory
into a new field. Besides, considering the fact that AI idols have no physiological needs,
entertainment companies won't have to spend tons of money on their food, accommodation
and transportation. Even when such idols are on stage, they won't even need to spend a
penny on costumes because everything is made out of algorithms. Plus, whereas normal idols
will require the companies to spend tons of resources in training classes, with virtual
idols, such costs will be drastically reduced. Plus, since AI idols are not humans, they
will for sure not be able to be involved in any scandals of drugs, affairs or accidents,
which is a huge advantage for agencies. This also leads to another pros: the fact that
many idols are being boycotted, harassed and bullied will obviously not happen. No mental
damages will be caused to anyone, and there will no longer be heart-breaking cyber bully
cases that lead to the suicide of idols. Plus, when a company builds a virtual idol, they'll
only give him/her the best characteristics in a human, not the vice versa. Thus, it's
nearly impossible for an AI idol to receive so much hate that they have to put off their
career.
Though the benefits that come along with these AI idol trends are attractive, still there
remain many downsides.
Firstly, right at the moment where you’re watching this video, hundreds of trainees
are spending their youth training, practicing with the dream of living under the spotlights
someday, and thus, they have no time for schooling. Some of them really devote their whole lives
to this, and if virtual idols really replace real idols in the future, these trainees will
have no place to go. Their dreams might eventually come to an end.
Secondly, in the past, there were multiple cases where idols were terribly harassed online
by toxic fans. But with real idols, there are basic human rights to protect them as
well as advanced protection from their agencies. However, for virtual idols, with this trend
starting to emerge, it is a real concern that their images will be used for inappropriate
purposes. Of course agencies have responsibility to protect their virtual idols, but since
they’re not human, they still cannot be fully protected. For instance, you can Google
Hatsune Miku - the famous virtual idol of Japan, then with further research, can easily
find some inappropriate images of her published by different people, and nobody’s ever done
anything about that. If such things happen to real idols, legal actions will for sure
be taken. Of course AIs are not humans, but we can never be sure if they actually possess
some forms of sense, not to mention, those inappropriate images could also negatively
affect fans.
Thirdly, since good fan service is a crucial factor, will companies be benefited so much
from virtual idols? There is no way virtual idols can interact with fans as naturally
and sophisticatedly as real idols, and of course, fans might feel the bond between them
and their idols is weakened. For example, surely many of you have all stumbled over
videos that capture cute and funny moments of your idols when they’re at a gameshow
or an event. In those videos, their behaviors are adorable, natural and human-like, which
help grow the intimacy between them and their fans. However, when it comes to virtual idols,
such things will never happen because everything will be made up on computers, even the smallest
facial expression on the AI idol’s face.
Though the trend of virtual idols has raised tons of public concerns in South Korea, it
has actually appeared a long while ago. In fact, Big Hit Entertainment once took over
this futuristic concept and condensed it into SeeU, the first-ever virtual idol of KPOP
nine years ago. Despite such an innovative idea, Big Hit couldn't help SeeU become a
thing because of their limited budget.
Still, Big Hit wasn't the first ever company in the world to practicalize this concept.
In 2007, Crypton Future Media introduced Hatsune Miku to the public. According to the company,
this is a 16-year-old girl with long, turquoise twintails. Miku's personification has been
marketed as a virtual idol and has performed onstage as an animated projection. Despite
being an animated figure, Hatsune Miku performs live as an animated holographic singer at
concerts around the world. Her fanbase numbers in the millions, and she has hundreds of millions
of views and listens across the Internet. Miku has appeared in TV commercials, TV shows,
animations, books, and magazines, as well as on billboards, promotional cards, and online
soundtracks. She even has a full line of action figures. When Miku first debuted, Crypton
Future Media used software to synthesize her voice. For this reason, she used to be called
a "Vocaloid." Yet, maybe because this technology cost too much money, or because the company
realized that they should bring more authentic experiences to fans, Miku's voice is now modeled
from a Japanese voice actress, Saki Fujita.
Talking about virtual idol’s voice, another concern is raised.
In the future, if KPOP agencies wanted to follow the virtual idols trend, high chances
are they will follow the tactics used by Crypton Future Media. Entertainment companies will
bring everything they do with a real idol to apply on the virtual ones, from letting
them perform on stages, holding concerts, fansign events and livestreams. However, there
still remains one question: should virtual KPOP idols’ be Vocaloid or be dubbed by
real vocalists?
For the first case where virtual KPOP idols would be Vocaloid, one of the biggest difficulties
will be to create a voice that has all the features of a Korean singer. As you've already
known, part of what makes KPOP KPOP is the neat, light and soothing singing techniques.
This is why Taeyeon, despite having been in the industry for more than a decade, is still
so famous. Or even with Rosé, one of the most unique vocalists of KPOP by now, she
still has that neat, and light features in the way she sings. However, when it comes
to Vocaloid, the first impression is that synthesized, high-pitched and machine-like
voice. Though this type of voice, like that of Miku, can attract a lot of fans in Japan,
the same thing might not happen in South Korea.
For the second case, where virtual KPOP idols would be dubbed by real vocalists, the problem
is more on the ethical side. In case the real vocalists’ names would not be published,
whether it’d be fair for them to keep working backstage? Don't they deserve to stand under
the spotlight and share the same taste of success with the virtual superstars? However,
flipping back the coin, if the companies publish the names of the dubbers, don't you think
that their personal life could also negatively impact that of the virtual ones? Even worse,
just imagine the image that companies build for their AI idols is completely contrasting
to the image of the dubbers, how can the company go ahead with this concept? If they decide
to manage the dubbers like real idols, why have to start all of this in the first place
when the costs keep adding up?
The list of concerns will for sure add up in the future, when more and more people are
aware of this virtual idol concept. Yet, since the trend is still at its infant stage, if
entertainment companies want to write a new history with it, they will have to tackle
such nerve-wracking problems to make it successful.
Since the entertainment industry, especially KPOP, has constantly repeated the same production
processes for ages, it's of course super thrilling to see what's gonna happen next. Though fans
will for sure undergo lots of eye-opening experiences down the road, there are certain
dark sides that they also need to consider.
So, are you hyped up by the virtual idol concept or are you concerned? Do you think the advantages
of the virtual idol industry can beat the downsides of it? Comment down below rightnow
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