Virtual idol

[Voight-Kampff]

http://ca.gizmodo.com/5814813/can-you-f ... tiful-girl

Well, congratulations Japan! You've finally made a "real" Sharron Apple.

Now the more important question: where's my damn Valkyrie?!

[Taleweaver]

Yay! We're finally out of the Uncanny Valley! And it's only 2011 - I didn't think this would happen before the 2020s.

Seeing that we already have our virtual pop stars performing live concerts, the next logical step is combining both and opening a new sector of entertainment worldwide. Movies, music, interactive games, everything's possible when computers can convincingly produce both image and voice of humans that don't exist.

The next step is voice recognition, and then dating sims will actually be about YOU dating HER, and karaoke bars have a new attraction.

[LateWhiteRabbit]

I see William Gibson's Idoru is no longer science fiction or the future. Though perhaps he missed a potential cruel future trend of recruiting girls only to amalgamate their features before kicking them to the curb.

Does this mean every fan can have a copy of the Idol since she is virtual? And we thought the body pillows were creepy . . . .

[lordcloudx]

I prefer my virtual idols with aqua hair and synthesized voices and eternally 16 years old.
Oh, and she's in 3D too http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interes ... projection

[sake-bento]

While it's surprising that it happened this quickly, I don't think anyone is surprised that this has happened at all. The potential for technology like this could go several ways. I mean, it would be hard to trust that the girl you're webcamming with is actually a girl now.

It might be interesting to see a trend towards actors "licensing" their body parts to be used in building these new actors. There might also be a new market for "motion actors" who will provide the motion control necessary to give the virtual actor life. It would be an entire market not dissimilar to voiceover acting. O:

[Voight-Kampff]

While it's surprising that it happened this quickly, I don't think anyone is surprised that his has happened at all. The potential for technology like this could go several ways.

Yeah. Unfortunately, my mind always seems to gravitate towards The Running Man in these sorts of situations. But then, I have a naturally distrustful mind, so...

Anyway, I have to wonder...is this what Japan REALLY wants? I understand the consternation that otaku must have over issues like the Aya Hirano incident. But, isn't part of the allure of idols the fact that, despite infinitesimally small odds, there's still a statistical chance that said idol, and "random otaku nerd", could one day hook up in some...awkward fashion?

But a virtual idol? There is ZERO probability of such a thing ever happening. So why lust after pixels?

[LVUER]

We just have to be careful so that virtual idol doesn't start go haywire, hijack the SDF-1, and start destroying humanity ^_^

[yummy]

Now it kinda reminds me of the plot of Eve no Jikan.
I'm really not surprised by this. The next step is now to create fully fledged androids. And learn to live among AI.

[LVUER]

It reminds me to Macross... Macross Plus to be exact.

Though singers in Macross Frontier and Hatsune Miku (and her fellowship of the Vocaloids) is already a virtual idols.

[papillon]

But a virtual idol? There is ZERO probability of such a thing ever happening. So why lust after pixels?

... Surely you know people who have declared KNOWN fictional characters to be their waifu....

[LVUER]

Cough*Love Plus*Cough

[Fawn]

@Sake, that would possibly be great for indie movie/game makers if someone could make a 3d program that allows them to create actors! It would be a lot of money saved for them. People could upload their own bodyparts too on the internet for download; like 3d models are posted on sites today. However it would suck for real life actors; they'd be beaten by synthetic people!

But, about the ethics and "fake" thing... Most people never meet the celebrities they adore. They just have posters of them on their walls, watch their movies- they don't actually exist in most people's every day lives. So there really won't be much difference between real actors and fake ones to most people. It's all about the fantasy of a perfect person.

[Taleweaver]

We just have to be careful so that virtual idol doesn't start go haywire, hijack the SDF-1, and start destroying humanity ^_^

[Voight-Kampff]

... Surely you know people who have declared KNOWN fictional characters to be their waifu....

*facepalm* Ugh. Don't remind me...

Well, as this all plays out to its logical conclusion, I just hope the otaku who go for this kind of thing keep the lessons of Chobits in mind. What was that lesson, you ask? Well, obviously, it was "It's okay to love your toaster. But don't *LOVE* your toaster."

[PyTom]

But don't *LOVE* your toaster.

... or you'll wind up getting burned?