More than 6 million pairs of eyes will be on real-time AI avatar technology in this week's finale of America's Got Talent - currently the second-most popular primetime TV show in the U.S..
Metaphysic, a member of the NVIDIA Inception global network of technology startups, is one of 11 acts competing for $1 million and a headline slot in AGT's Las Vegas show in tonight's final on NBC. It's the first AI act to reach an AGT finals.
Called the best act of the series so far and one of the most unique things we've ever seen on this show by notoriously tough judge Simon Cowell, the team's performances involve a demonstration of photorealistic AI avatars, animated in real time by singers on stage.
In Metaphysic's semifinals act, three singers - Daniel Emmet, Patrick Dailey and John Riesen - lent their voices to AI avatars of Cowell, fellow judge Howie Mandel and host Terry Crews, performing the opera piece Nessun Dorma. For the finale, the team plans to bring back one of the greatest rock and roll icons of all time, but it's keeping the audience guessing.
The AGT winner will be announced on Wednesday, Sept. 14.
Metaphysic's history-making run on America's Got Talent has allowed us to showcase the application of AI on one of the most-watched stages in the world, said the startup's co-founder and CEO Tom Graham, who appears on the show alongside co-founder Chris Um .
(L to R): Daniel Emmet, Tom Graham and Chris Um presented Metaphysic's audition for America's Got Talent. (Photo by Trae Patton/NBC, courtesy of Metaphysic.) While overall awareness of synthetic media has grown in recent years, Metaphysic's AGT performances provide a front-row seat into how this technology could impact the future of everything, from the internet to entertainment to education, he said.
Capturing Imaginations While Raising AI Awareness Founded in 2021, London-based Metaphysic is developing AI technologies to help creators build virtual identities and synthetic content that is hyperrealistic, moving beyond the so-called uncanny valley.
The team initially went viral last year for DeepTomCruise, a TikTok channel featuring videos where actor Miles Fisher animated an AI avatar of Tom Cruise. The posts garnered around 100 million views and provided many people with their first introduction to the incredible capabilities of synthetic media, Graham said.
By bringing its AI avatars to the AGT stage, the company has been able to reach millions more viewers - with sophisticated camera rigs and performers on stage demonstrating how the technology works live and in real time.
AI, GPU Acceleration Behind the Curtain Metaphysic's AI avatar software pipeline includes variants of the popular StyleGAN model developed by NVIDIA Research. The team, which uses the TensorFlow deep learning framework, relies on NVIDIA CUDA software to accelerate its work on NVIDIA GPUs.
Without NVIDIA hardware and software libraries, we wouldn't be able to pull off these hyperreal results to the level we have, said Jo Plaete, director of product innovation at Metaphysic. The computation provided by our NVIDIA hardware platforms allows us to train larger and more complex models at a speed that allows us to iterate on them quickly, which results in those most perfectly tuned results.
For both AI model development and inference during live performances, Metaphysic uses NVIDIA DGX systems as well as other workstations and data center configurations with NVIDIA GPUs - including NVIDIA A100 Tensor Core GPUs.
Excellent hardware support has helped us troubleshoot things really fast when in need, said Plaete. And having access to the research and engineering teams helps us get a deeper understanding of the tools and how we can leverage them in our pipelines.
Following AGT, Metaphysic plans to pursue several collaborations in the entertainment industry. The company has also launched a consumer-facing platform, called Every Anyone, that enables users to create their own hyperrealistic AI avatars.
Discover the latest in AI and metaverse technology by registering free for NVIDIA GTC, running online Sept. 19-22. Metaphysic will be part of the panel AI for VCs: NVIDIA Inception Global Startup Showcase.
Header photo by Chris Haston/NBC, courtesy of Metaphysic
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...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
More than 6 million pairs of eyes will be on real-time AI avatar technology in this week's finale of America's Got Talent - currently the second-most popular primetime TV show in the U.S..
