Following the success of the IBC Accelerators Project on synthetic humans in 2023, John Maxwell Hobbs caught up with one of the project leaders to discuss subsequent progress and wider market adoption.
One of the eight IBC Accelerator projects in 2023 looked at ‘synthetic humans.’ A synthetic human differs from a traditional CGI animated character in that they are intended to function in real-time in response to a variety of data inputs. They can take several different forms, from a simple text-based chatbot to fully synthesised voices and video personas. For example, the two demos from the Accelerator project brought an historical figure, the opera singer Maria Calas, back to ‘virtual’ life and used voice synthesis to vocalise what a presenter was communicating using British sign language.
Michael Davey, Founder and Technologist at Michael Davey Consulting, was project lead on the second workstream looking at presenting weather forecasts in British Sign Language. Discussing industry developments in the area since the project concluded, he says: “The last six months have been marked in the industry with ongoing exploration into making digital humans more relatable and realistic through better understanding of human actions, enabling more intuitive editing of images and videos, and animating fictional characters in innovative ways. This includes efforts to replicate human body language, micro-gestures, facial expressions, and verbal communication, aiming for digital humans to be central in storytelling and creative processes.”...
You are not signed in.
Only registered users can view this article.
.jpg)
AI through the looking glass: Digital natives
When it comes to AI, the M&E industry should take a more active interest in the views of its young people if it wants them to remain part of it, writes James McKeown.

NAB preview: Agentic AI poised to steal the show
New imaging technologies, AI creative mates and wrestlers await visitors to Las Vegas while America’s free press is under attack.

Inside virtual production’s latest processing and toolset innovations
Advances in GPU capability and algorithms are among the developments allowing ‘more to be done with less’ as virtual production technology and techniques continue to evolve, writes David Davies.

Content Everywhere: Getting (more) personal in the AI era
Content Everywhere companies cite service personalisation as an area in which artificial intelligence (AI) and data will play an increasingly transformative role in the highly competitive streaming market.
/Hero Shot - LED Wall at NFTS Virtual_Launch_0128 (1).jpg)
Level up: Addressing the skills gap in virtual production
As virtual production technology becomes more ubiquitous, the need for real-world training and development for professionals of all levels becomes paramount. John Maxwell Hobbs explores the education and training programmes on offer from academic institutions and industry organisations.