Could the next big Kpop group be a virtual Kpop Girl Group called ETERN!TY? ETERN!TY is an 11-member Kpop girl group of virtual avatars created using AI technology. The AI startup Pulse9 has developed these 11 members and debuted in early 2021. This was perfect timing as many Kpop groups could not perform offline due to COVID. Moreover, it paved the way for the idea of virtual avatars being used to make AI celebrities and influencers. ETERN!TY is the first official all virtual Kpop group, and they have received much attention online.
One of the members named, DAIN released its first digital single album, No Filter, which has over 3.5 million views on YouTube. You can watch the YouTube video below.
How was ETERN!TY created?
Pulse9 used Deep Real AI technology which is very similar to Deep Fake technology, to create these AI Kpop Idols. The company aims to create the most realistic AI celebrities to lease their IP. Moreover, brands worldwide can use these IPs as virtual brand ambassadors.
The 11 members of ETERN!TY was created through the AI Simkyung Challenge 101, an online competition. Therefore, fans got the opportunity to vote for their favorite potential member. In total, there were 101 virtual characters for fans to choose from. At the end of the competition, 11 were selected.
Furthermore, to create all 101 potential members, Pulse9 used data collected from 20 years of Kpop singers. Moreover, the data was based on four factors: Sexiness, cuteness, innocence, and intelligence. Therefore, each of the members has a different appearance and personality.
You can check out some of the 11 members below.
YEORUM CHAE (Leader/Main Vocalist)
DAIN JUNG
SEOA RYU (Main Dancer)
SUJIN PYO (Vocalist)
HYEJIN KIM (Lead Rapper)
SARANG OH
MINJI HA (Main Rapper)
Other members include CHOONG HAM, YEJIN LEE, JAEIN KWAK, and WOO JI. Moreover, you can get full details of ETERN!TY through their official website here.
Not the first Virtual Kpop Avatars
ETERN!TY is not the first Kpop group to use virtual avatars. SM Entertainment launched Aespa in 2020. Aespa is a Kpop girl group of four real members who each have their virtual avatars that act as additional members. Think of them as avatars of each of the real members. This is different than ETERN!TY has zero real members. Therefore, ETERN!TY is the first Kpop group to go entirely virtual and can be called the first Kpop AI virtual group.
The Future of Virtual Kpop Groups
Using AI Kpop members can save Kpop Entertainment companies a lot of money. It costs money for Kpop entertainment companies to train and market Kpop groups. Moreover, now with the help of AI technology, Kpop entertainment companies can save millions of dollars by creating AI virtual Kpop Idols that can work 24/7 and will never leave the company. In addition, as technology allows for even more realistic-looking AI Kpop stars, there will be fewer and fewer human Kpop idols.
The biggest question is whether Kpop fans will embrace this new technology and embrace virtual Kpop groups. If they do, there is no need to invest in real-life Kpop talents, as virtual talents will never age, can do anything, and work non-stop without complaint. Therefore, what more could Kpop entertainment companies ask for?
