Today’s puppet, tomorrow’s virtual person
Have you ever heard of “virtual persons”? I hadn’t, until just now. It’s the newest thing!
China has taken the lead in this new industry, so you know it’s got to be good. Basically what we’re talking about is very high-tech puppets: “persons” who consist of “animation, sound technology, and machine learning [whatever that is].” In other words, not real. They look and sound real. Chinese business leaders think the time has come “to build up the municipal virtual people industry.”
You can already buy one. Prices run from $2,800 to $14,300. A 3-D virtual person costs more than a two-dimensional one.
Hey, it’s gonna be great! China has embraced virtual persons as “scandal-free icons” and ideal social media “influencers.” (This just gets better and better.) You don’t have to worry about your puppet ever turning whistle-blower, or being drunk on the air, or jumping ship for a higher salary. Some 45% of advertisers said they’d probably hire a virtual person to push their product.
We’re only waiting for the World Economic Forum to proclaim virtual persons a highly desirable improvement over real people. Except for themselves, of course.