2 chapters across the catalog
Hatsune Miku, Virtual Celebrities and CGI Costs
The discussion on AI actors references Hatsune Miku, a virtual pop star in Japan who has maintained a massive following for over a decade. The hosts note that while AI and CGI are initially seen as cost-saving measures, they often become more expensive as technology demands increase.
Japanese pop group AKB48 introduced a new member, Aimee Eguchi, who was revealed to be a computer-generated composite of other members' features. This "virtual person" is seen as a precursor to virtual news readers and politicians. The hosts discuss the high quality of modern animation, including Pixar's water rendering, and suggest that human news readers may eventually be replaced by union-free digital avatars.
