Everything you need to know about the AI avatars emotionally responding to text, developed by a company supported by Nvidia.
Synthesia, a company backed by Nvidia, has unveiled “Expressive Avatars,” digital characters created by AI that can express human emotions using text inputs. This breakthrough is poised to transform the video production industry by eliminating the necessity for cameras, microphones, actors, and time-consuming editing procedures.
Connecting the virtual and real world
London-based Synthesia studio employs Actors to read scripts against a green screen and teach an artificial intelligence system to reproduce human expressions and emotions. “Expressive Avatars” were introduced by inputting simple lines of text such as “I’m happy,” “I’m sad,” and “I’m frustrated,” and the AI-generated actor responded with corresponding emotional tones.
Synthesia’s technology has gained traction with more than 55,000 companies, including half of the Fortune 100, that use digital avatars for presentations and training videos. Founded in 2017, the company received $90 million in funding last year at a valuation of around $1 billion, cementing its position as one of Britain’s most prominent AI unicorns. Notable investors include Accel, Kleiner Perkins, GV, FirstMark Capital and MMC.
Addressing concerns and ensuring authenticity
Synthesia has taken steps to ensure the responsible use of its technology out of concern for possible misuse. Publishers must register as business customers, and all content is moderated. The company uses a “Know Your Customer” process similar to banking industry standards, which prevents abuse by malicious parties.
Synthesia actively prepares for global elections and implements surveillance measures to prevent attempts by hostile actors to manipulate the results. Additionally, the company is partnering with the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, an AI consortium focused on implementing content credentials and digital “watermarking” to distinguish AI-generated content from human-made content.
Synthesia’s innovative “Expressive Avatars” represent a significant leap forward in artificial intelligence technology, bridging the gap between virtual and real interaction. With strong security measures in place, the company is ready to shape the future of digital content production while protecting against potential abuse.
