Virtual humans herald dawn of digital age

Luya, the musician, does showcase skills that are unmatched by her classmates in the real world. More than a virtual idol, she can easily mix diversified genres, render orchestrations, analyze complicated chords and explore broader possibilities of making music.

China's internet magnates are also quick to tap the potential. Baidu launched a digital person called Xi Ling, who can provide a 24/7 tireless livestreaming service, and change makeup and clothes quickly at the user's request to improve their shopping experience.

Ayayi, another AI-enabled influencer, joined the online retail giant Alibaba as a digital manager. At the video sharing and streaming platform Bilibili, virtual livestreamers compete with their real-life counterparts.

A slew of Chinese TV stations have jumped on the bandwagon as well. They allowed digital hosts to broadcast news stories, moves that, for now, are designed to capture attention, but are expected to revolutionize the media landscape in the future.

Lu Yanxia, an analyst from IDC, a market consultancy, says that AI digital humans have shown noticeable commercial value in some sectors, and a growing number of them will work together with human beings in the future.

But Liu adds that such digital personalities should be introduced into their proper scenarios and patience is needed in the pursuit of market growth.

In a plan to facilitate the development of the digital economy in the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), China aims to deepen the integration of AI, Virtual Reality and 8K tech and expand their applications in social networking, shopping, entertainment and exhibitions.

According to data from iiMedia Research, the market value in China driven by virtual humans is expected to reach 640 billion yuan ($91 billion) in 2025.