The virtual vloggers taking over YouTube
A young Japanese woman sporting a giant pink bow and white opera gloves looks into the camera and gleefully greets her YouTube audience. She's about to try and solve a puzzle. Before diving into the game, she boasts with a smile: "Well, compared to all you humans, I can clear it much faster. No doubt about it!"
Yes, this YouTube personality isn't a real person. While she's voiced by a human, she's a digital, anime-style cartoon. Her name is Kizuna Ai, and she has more than two million subscribers to her channel. She's the most-watched "virtual YouTuber" on the site. Kizuna Ai is part of an emerging trend where 3D avatars – rather than humans – are becoming celebrities on YouTube, with dedicated fanbases and corporate deals. It's becoming so popular that one company is investing tens of millions in "virtual talent" and talent agencies are being established to manage these avatars.
It's a movement that has big implications for the future – it could change how brands market their products and how we interact with technology. It could even let us live forever.
Yes, that's right. It could let you "live" forever. The true immortality: being remembered only as an anime girl.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Osamabobama on Friday October 05 2018, @08:31PM
How many steps removed is this from Red vs. Blue? That was also computer animation voiced by a cast of humans. Of course the graphics and animation are better now, but that's to be expected.
The worst trend I've seen on YouTube is where the computer does the voice, while the video is from a traditional camera.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.