It could only happen in NVIDIA Omniverse - the company's virtual world simulation and collaboration platform for 3D workflows.
And it happened during an interview with a virtual toy model of NVIDIA's CEO, Jensen Huang.
What are the greatest one of Toy Jensen's creators asked, stumbling, then stopping before completing his scripted question.
Unfazed, the tiny Toy Jensen paused for a moment, considering the answer carefully.
The greatest are those, Toy Jensen replied, who are kind to others.
Leading-edge computer graphics, physics simulation, a live CEO, and a supporting cast of AI-powered avatars came together to make NVIDIA's GTC keynote - delivered using Omniverse - possible.
Along the way, a little soul got into the mix, too.
The AI-driven comments, added to the keynote as a stinger, provided an unexpected peek at the depth of Omniverse's technology.
Omniverse is the hub in which all the various research domains converge and align and work in unison, says Kevin Margo, a member of NVIDIA's creative team who put the presentation together. Omniverse facilitates the convergence of all of them.
Toy Jensen's ad-lib capped a presentation that seamlessly mixed a real CEO with virtual and real environments as Huang took viewers on a tour of how NVIDIA technologies are weaving AI, graphics and robotics together with humans in real and virtual worlds.
Real CEO, Digital Kitchen While the CEO viewers saw was all real, the environment around him morphed as he spoke to support the story he was telling.
Viewers saw Huang deliver a keynote that seemed to begin, like so many during the global COVID pandemic, in Huang's kitchen.
Then, with a flourish, Huang's kitchen - modeled down to the screws holding its cabinets together - slid away from sight as Huang strolled toward a virtual recreation of Endeavor's gleaming lobby.
One of our goals is to find a way to elevate our keynote events, Margo says. We're always looking for those special moments when we can do something novel and fantastical, and that showcase NVIDIA's latest technological innovations.
It was the start of a visual journey that would take Huang from that lobby to Shannon's, a gathering spot inside Endeavor, through a holodeck, and a data center with stops inside a real robotics lab and the exterior of Endeavor.
Virtual environments such as Huang's kitchen were created by a team using familiar tools supported by Omniverse such as Autodesk Maya and 3ds Max, and Adobe Substance Painter.
Omniverse served to connect them all in real-time - so each team member could see changes made by colleagues using different tools simultaneously, accelerating their work.
That was critical, Margo says.
The virtual and the real came together quickly once live filming began.
A small on-site video team recorded Huang's speech in just four days, starting October 30, in a spare pair of conference rooms at NVIDIA's Silicon Valley headquarters.
Omniverse allowed NVIDIA's team to project the dynamic virtual environments their colleagues had created on a screen behind Huang.
As a result, the light spill onto Huang changed as the scene around him changed, better integrating him into the virtual environment.
And as Huang moved through the scene, or as the camera shifted, the environment changed around Huang.
As the camera moves, the perspective and parallax of the world on the video wall responds accordingly, Mago says.
And because Huang could see the environment projected on the screens around him, he was better able to navigate each scene.
At the Speed of Omniverse All of this accelerated the work of NVIDIA's production team, which had most of what they needed in-camera after each shot rather than adding elaborate digital sets in post-production.
As a result, the video team quickly created a presentation seamlessly blending a real CEO with virtual and real-world settings.
However, Omniverse was more than just a way to speed collaboration between creatives working with real and digital elements hustling to hit a deadline. It also served as the platform that knit the string of demos featured in the keynote together.
To help developers create intelligent, interactive agents with Omniverse that can see, speak, converse on a wide range of subjects and understand naturally spoken intent, Huang announced Omniverse Avatar.
Omniverse brings together a deep stack of technologies - from ray-tracing to recommender systems - that were mixed and matched throughout the keynote to drive a series of stunning demos.
In a demo that swiftly made headlines, Huang showed how Project Tokkio for Omniverse Avatar connects Metropolis computer vision, Riva speech AI, avatar animation and graphics into a real-time conversational AI robot - the Toy Jensen Omniverse Avatar.
The conversation between three of NVIDIA's engineers and a tiny toy model of Huang was more than just a technological tour de force, demonstrating expert, natural Q&A.
It showed how photorealistic modeling of Toy Jensen and his environment - right down to the glint on Toy Jensen's glasses as he moved his head - and NVIDIA's Riva speech synthesis technology powered by the Megatron 530B large language model could support natural, fluid conversations.
To create the demo, NVIDIA's creative team created the digital model in Maya Substance, and Omniverse did the rest.
None of it was manual, you just load up the animation assets and talk to it, he said.
Huang also showed a second demo of Project Tokkio, a customer-service avatar in a restaurant kiosk that was able to see, converse with and understand two customers.
Rather than relying on Megatron, however, this model relied on a model that integrated the restaurant's menu, allowing the avatar to smoothly guide customers through their op
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Recreating the 1974 Doctor Who Time Tunnel in After Effects
Graham Quince May 6, 2026
0 Comments
The Time Tunnel from Doctor Who titles is one of th...
06/05/2026
Gravity Media Chief RF Communications Engineer Glenn Willems uses Wisycom RF over Fiber and wireless solutions across major cycling events and international mar...
06/05/2026
A Sennheiser Spectera module is now available in Bitfocus Companion and Buttons, enabling direct integration of Spectera with the two software platforms. The mo...
06/05/2026
Ted Turner, the visionary media entrepreneur whose appetite for disruption helpe...
06/05/2026
Peacock is going all-in on the beautiful game - streaming all 104 FIFA World Cup...
06/05/2026
New pricing tiers for vocal/dialogue restoration tool
NoiseWorks Audio's AI-powered vocal and dialogue processing plug-in is now available in three diff...
06/05/2026
Popular mixing & routing software overhauled
Following a recent public beta test, RME have launched the final release version of the powerful mixing and rou...
06/05/2026
New SOS Video Feature
Focusrites ISA C8X is a milestone product that brings together the companys analogue heritage and their expertise in digital audio. Yo...
06/05/2026
Polands Miecznik-class frigates are part of the largest contract in Polish shipbuilding history. (Image Credit: PGZ Stocznia Wojenna)...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Riedel Communications today announced the expansion of its leadership structure as part of a strategic initiative to strengthen both its operational management ...
06/05/2026
For nearly three decades, Veteran Production Sound Mixer and Five-time Emmy Award Winner Dirk Sciarrotta has helped define the sonic identity of the long-runnin...
06/05/2026
ZEISS CinCraft LensCore: Cinema Lens Looks for Compositing
Brie Clayton May 6, 2026
0 Comments
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a nove...
06/05/2026
Wisycom Solves Extreme RF Challenges Across Miles of Live Action for Gravity Med...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Narrative Entertainment has partnered with Encompass to deliver high-quality subtitling of its Great! network content using the Altitude Intelligence AI assiste...
06/05/2026
SipRadius, widely recognized for making content processing and connectivity secure and seamless, is proud to launch a dramatic new approach to AI content creati...
06/05/2026
When the broadband and media industry gathers at ANGA COM in Cologne from May 19 to 21, Big Blue Marble will be at the forefront. The international broadcast an...
06/05/2026
Cinegy GmbH, a leading developer of software-defined television technology, is proud to exhibit at MPTS for the first time. Visitors to the stand will discover ...
06/05/2026
Val Jeanty Receives 2026 Doris Duke Artist Award Jeanty, a composer, percussionist, and turntablist, is the fourth Berklee recipient of the prestigious award ...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
When live cycling races and international marathons stretch for miles across cities and countryside, there is no margin for RF failure in live broadcast. As Chi...
06/05/2026
Oberkochen/Germany, May 5, 2026
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a novel solution for creating physically based cinematic lens looks for visual...
06/05/2026
06 May 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Authorized to Resell Starlink for Businesses & ...
06/05/2026
UKTV has secured the exclusive rights to the early back catalogue of iconic Australian drama series Neighbours, following a landmark content deal with Fremantle...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky commissions feature documentary to mark 10th anniversa...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky and Formula 1 agree long-term partnership across UK, Ireland and Italy
Sky in the UK & Ireland to remain the home of Formula 1 until ...
06/05/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign launches nationwide, supported by new...
06/05/2026
Wuppertal May 6, 2026
Riedel Expands Leadership Structure, Appoints Marc Engro...
06/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 6, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced its latest broadband innovations for ANGA COM 2026, highlighting its vision for a new e...
06/05/2026
Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner&...
06/05/2026
Friday 8 May on RT One and RT Player
Meet the NSPCA team caring for and protecting animals in need in this six-part series
Fly on the wall, six-part series...
06/05/2026
The race to build the world's most powerful AI factories demands networking ...
06/05/2026
How changes to proteins can alter drug interactions for new precision therapies Scripps Research team maps how chemical modifications to proteins affect drug bi...
05/05/2026
Experts from the world of academia, tech, business, politics and media convened for a Thomson Talks at the Cambridge Disinformation Summit in April. It's th...
05/05/2026
Three phones were hardwired for power and transmission to the truck; camera feat...
05/05/2026
The creative studio behind campaigns for the NBA, Fanatics Sportsbook & Casino, ...
05/05/2026
Nielsen has announced results from a co-viewing pilot program covering February&...
It could only happen in NVIDIA Omniverse - the company's virtual world simulation and collaboration platform for 3D workflows.
