Samsung recently started teasing Neon, an artificial human, and it created a lot of buzz on social media. Many people assumed Samsung’s STAR Labs is creating an AI robot like Sophia(a humanoid robot developed by Hanson Robotics). But instead, Neons turned out to be virtual artificial humans with different avatars. At CES 2020, Samsung showcased 6 different avatars with distinct appearances, personalities, expressions, and dialogues.
STAR Labs says that Neons are not meant to be similar to other AI chatbots like Google Assistant, Bixby, Alexa, etc. They aren’t something you’ll use to ask any questions like the current weather, nor will they play your favorite songs for you. They are artificial humans on a screen that can emphasize or converse like real human beings. They run on a platform called Core R3, where the 3 Rs stands for Reality, Realtime, and Response. Neons can speak various languages like Hindi, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, etc.
A total of 6 different Avatars were showcased at CES 2020, which include a K-pop star, a banker, a yoga instructor, a fashion model, and a news anchor. They don’t imitate or copy any person, but all have their own different appearance, personality, and voice. They can be used as TV anchors, movie actors, spokespeople, a yoga instructor, etc.
The company said in an official release:
It is inspired by the rhythmic complexities of nature and extensively trained with how humans look, behave and interact. CORE R3 can computationally create a lifelike reality that is beyond normal perception to distinguish. CORE R3 can also connect to other domain-specific and value-added services. SPECTRA, still in the development stage, will complement CORE R3 with the spectrum of Intelligence, Learning, Emotions, and Memory, thus making NEONs fully immersional.
Pranav Mistry, CEO of STAR LABS and the guy behind this project says “NEONs will be our friends, collaborators, and companions, continually learning, evolving and forming memories from their interactions”
STAR Labs announced that Neon beta would be out later this year for some of their partner companies. They will also be holding a special conference later this year titled “Neon World 2020”, to give people more details about this ambitious project.
