K-Pop’s newest band member will be a CGI generated digital human
Everything you watch through a screen is just a collection of digital pixels, and as AI gets better at generating synthetic content real human performers could be less relevant ...
Key takeaways
- The backstory of ae-KARINA says she’s 20 years old, from Korea — and the digital counterpart to the band’s IRL band member Karina, also a 20 year old from Korea.
- A new video uploaded by the site introduces the virtual avatar and discusses how the various band members connect with her via social media.
- The South Korean entertainment industry is no stranger to putting a digital avatar on stage.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2020) 'K-Pop’s newest band member will be a CGI generated digital human', 311 Institute, 21 November. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/k-pops-newest-band-member-will-be-a-cgi-generated-digital-human/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
As I continue to watch the rise of new virtual artists and influencers, from Japan to the USA, like Lil Miquela and many others, K-Pop girl band aespa has announced that it’s adding a new member to its ranks named “ae-KARINA.” But there’s something different about this particular band member. She’s an entirely virtual, computer generated avatar, not a real singer like her fellow band members.
The band, licensed under SM Entertainment, confirmed that its work will feature both real life and “virtual” band members. The backstory of ae-KARINA says she’s 20 years old, from Korea — and the digital counterpart to the band’s IRL band member Karina, also a 20 year old from Korea.
See the newest band member being introduced
The pair reportedly have “various skills including vocals, rap, and dance,” according to English-language k-pop site Soompi.
A new video uploaded by the site introduces the virtual avatar and discusses how the various band members connect with her via social media. It’s not clear who will be running the virtual band member’s accounts.
The South Korean entertainment industry is no stranger to putting a digital avatar on stage. For instance, the band K/DA is entirely virtual and was created by Riot Games, the developer behind the popular online battle game “League of Legends.”
Hatsune Miku, an entirely computer-generated “Vocaloid” powered by a Japanese media company, also was set to perform at Coachella this year, but as you may have heard, basically every major music event, including Coachella, was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. And while that’s a crying shame who knows, maybe next year some of these virtual influencers will forgo appearing at live events altogether and instead attend some of the new spectacular mixed reality events, like League of Legends Worlds event that I wrote about recently, instead.
Source: AllKPop
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Everything you watch through a screen is just a collection of digital pixels, and as AI gets better at generating synthetic content real human performers could be less relevant ...
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
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Sources and further reading
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 21 November 2020. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2020). K-Pop’s newest band member will be a CGI generated digital human. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/k-pops-newest-band-member-will-be-a-cgi-generated-digital-human/
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