From virtual idols to live streaming hosts, from AI broadcasting in news studios to "digital employees" in enterprise customer service centers, AI digital humans are rapidly emerging from the laboratory and becoming one of the most active application forms in the content industry and enterprise service fields.
1、 From "Image Cloning" to "Intelligent Agents": The Three layered Evolution of Digital Humans
The first generation of digital humans solved the problem of 'like it or not'. Through 3D modeling, motion capture, and speech synthesis technology, manufacturers can reproduce the appearance, expressions, and sounds of real people. In recent years, the introduction of generative AI technologies such as diffusion models has significantly reduced the production cost of digital humans - digital human images that used to take weeks to complete can now be generated within days with the help of AI tools.
The second generation of digital humans solves the problem of whether they can speak or not. The big language model endows digital humans with the ability to understand and generate conversations, enabling them to break free from preset scripts and engage in open communication with users. Speech synthesis technology has also evolved from splicing synthesis to end-to-end neural network synthesis, resulting in more natural tones and richer emotions.
The third generation of digital humans began to solve the problem of whether they could work or not. Digital people are no longer just a display layer of "image+dialogue", but deeply integrated with enterprise knowledge bases and business systems: they can query orders, handle business, follow up on processes, and become true "digital employees".
2、 Application scenario: From content production to enterprise services
In the field of content, virtual anchors have achieved 24/7 uninterrupted live streaming, covering news broadcasts, e-commerce sales, knowledge popularization and other scenarios; In the field of culture and tourism, digital guides provide personalized tours for museums and scenic spots; In the field of enterprise services, digital personnel take on repetitive tasks such as customer service, training, and recruitment screening, helping companies significantly reduce labor costs.
3、 Risk and Compliance: The stronger the technology, the greater the responsibility
The risk of abuse of digital human technology cannot be ignored - deep synthesis technology may be used to forge videos and commit fraud. China's Regulations on the Administration of Deep Integration of Internet Information Services has been formally implemented in January 2023, requiring deep integration service providers to identify generated content and verify the real identity of users. When deploying digital humans, enterprises should simultaneously establish a content review mechanism, clarify the identification obligations of AI generated content, and achieve synchronous promotion of technology application and compliance management.
From virtual anchors to digital employees, AI digital humans are redefining the boundaries of 'human-machine collaboration'. For enterprises, instead of watching from the sidelines, it is better to start from specific scenarios and use digital people to solve real problems - this is where the greatest value of this technology lies.
[Reference source] The content of this article is comprehensively collated from the public industry information and the official text of the Administrative Provisions on the Deep Synthesis of Internet Information Services.