South Korea is the world's testing ground for tech. But also, in terms of entertainment the world is increasingly looking that way since TV sensations like The Masked Singer and Squid Game hit our screens and K-pop groups took over concert stadiums and teenage hearts all over the world. Now, the next big thing coming out of Korea might be synthetic influencers.
MIPTV 2022 CONFERENCES SQUID GAME: THE INTERVIEW
Influencers have become an important part of the media eco-system and powerful marketing tools. Especially Gen Z are completely under the Influencer effect. However, as technology continues to evolve, a new kind of influencer has emerged: the synthetic influencer. These digital creations, made entirely of computer-generated imagery (CGI), have the potential to revolutionize the world of media. Let's explore the rise of the synthetic influencers, their advantages, and disadvantages, and what the future holds for this innovative technology.
Synthetic K-Pop Influencers One of the biggest players in this field is Kakao Entertainment, a leading entertainment company in Korea with a well-diversified portfolio offering everything from webtoons to films and dramas, talent management, and K-pop all under one roof. Using new imaginative ways to maximize the lifecycle and value of content IPs, Kakao Entertainment delivers a holistic entertainment experience in synergy with its tech-driven ecosystem.
An example for that is Mave, the first artificial K-pop group created entirely within the metaverse. Using machine learning, deep fake, face swap and 3D production technology to bring the group alive.
Synthetic Influencers on TV Kakao Entertainment is also producing TV shows such as GIRL'S RE:VERSE, a virtual survival show that features 30 female K-pop performers, both current and past, who compete with each other in a virtual world called W to have the chance to debut a new virtual K-pop group. Their real identities are hidden with the use of virtual characters so that only their dancing and singing skills, as well as their charms are shown. The program uses VR motion capture technology to capture their physical movements and facial expressions which is then projected onto each contestant's unique virtual character in real-time. Viewers can guess the identity of the contestants and only those eliminated are allowed to reveal their actual identity. The last five standing make it into the brand-new idol band.
The show premiered in January on South Korean OTT platform Kakao TV and was also shown on Japan's ABEMA TV platform and USA's KOCOWA platfom as well as being available worldwide on YouTube.
Another example for these kinds of metaverse shows is a TV reality show called Avatar Singer which is a 15-episode music competition that ran live on Korean TV Channel MBN. It features ten celebrity competitors masked as digital 3D avatars complete with superpowers.
These shows are the next level of The Masked Singer and similar to Fox's Alter Ego, in which contestants stand backstage while singing and dancing, as motion capture technology projects an avatar on stage that moves when the person does. The judges then decide who has the best performance.
Superplastic and Amazon Studios' Collaboration While Korea is way ahead when it comes to synthetic influencers, the trend has also reached the US already. Superplastic is a startup that creates and develops synthetic influencers and has recently raised $20 million led by Amazon's Alexa Fund. The strategic investment that will see Superplastic and its synthetic celebrities, with millions of followers on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, initially collaborating on an animated comedy series with Amazon Studios. They will also work closely with Amazon to look for more ways to connect with younger consumers. The plan is to build out more character-based products - the Superplastic character universe , as the startup calls it - across platforms such as games and other social networks. Other investors include Craft Ventures, Google Ventures, Galaxy Digital, Kering, Sony Japan, Scribble Ventures, Kakao, Animoca Brands, Day One Ventures and Betaworks.
Amazon's interest in Superplastic highlights a recurring theme in tech right now: we're seeing increasingly blurred lines between media and technology, where one is being leveraged to propagate the other, in today's digital landscape. Superplastic's founder and CEO Paul Budnitz sees companies like his as this generation's Disney: beloved characters with a universe of experiences built around them. In today's world, that experience, and the beloved characters themselves, inevitably have a major tech component. In regard to Social Media he says: The usage and momentum on there provides insights about how a piece of content will play with all of our audience. That matters to Amazon.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Synthetic Influencers The advantages of using a synthetic influencer over a human influencer are easy to see. Synthetic influencers are entirely computer-generated, which means that the creators have complete control over the character. Especially after the recent Kanye West disaster, a synthetic influencer seems like the safe choice for a brand. Another advantage is that synthetic influencers are always available, 24/7. A lot of human influencers suffer from burnouts eventually, that's not the case with synthetic influencers. And finally, synthetic influencers can be programmed to speak multiple languages and can be customized to suit different markets and cultures. The girls of above-mentioned K-pop group Mave are supposed to converse in, say Portuguese with a Brazilian fan and in German with someone in Germany, fluently and convincingly. This versatility can help brands reach a more diverse audience and expand the
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
15/11/2026
Can VideoProc AI Really Reduce Noise and Enhance Blurry, Old Footage? Real-World...
14/11/2026
Longtime MLB Network employee David Maybrown passed away Thursday at the age of 57. David joined MLB Network in 2009 shortly after its launch, beginning as an i...
14/11/2026
Modular innovators introduce two guitar-based products
ADDAC System's recently introduced Four String Series makes it possible to integrate physical str...
14/11/2026
Marcelo Dai's Live Session Captured with URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
Artist takes viewers on an immersive journe...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Newest Lenses, Horizon Anamorphic Seminar & Guided Lens Character Experience Highlight Creative Possibilities
At the 2026 Toru CAMERIMAGE Film Festival, ZEISS...
14/11/2026
Sonnet Announces Black Friday Sale on Select Products
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
WHAT: Sonnet Technologies is having a sale on a select...
14/11/2026
Berklee Alumni Shine at the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards This year's winners included songwriters, engineers, and performers who contributed to acclaimed reco...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled
The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...
13/11/2026
Download Now!
To view the white paper, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name
Company*
Country* Please select your countryA...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
South Korea is the world's testing ground for tech. But also, in terms of entertainment the world is increasingly looking that way since TV sensations like The Masked Singer and Squid Game hit our screens and K-pop groups took over concert stadiums and teenage hearts all over the world. Now, the next big thing coming out of Korea might be synthetic influencers.
