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A research team within Alibaba Group recently unveiled TaoAvatar, a groundbreaking technology that creates photorealistic, full-body, talking 3D virtual avatars. Designed for augmented reality (AR) applications, TaoAvatar aims to revolutionize user interaction by providing lifelike, expressive digital personas capable of hearing, speaking, and exhibiting natural movements and expressions. This technology promises to break down the barriers between dimensions, enabling users to interact with vivid, realistic representations of themselves within AR environments.

Recently, UK-based AI video generation company Synthesia announced the completion of a $180 million Series D funding round. Since its establishment in 2017, Synthesia has become a leader in the industry, serving over half of the Fortune 100 companies and producing millions of minutes of AI-generated video content each month. The company is dedicated to helping businesses efficiently create videos and virtual avatars to enhance their communication effectiveness and content dissemination capabilities. With this funding, Synthesia plans to further develop.

With the rapid development of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies, the demand for personalized virtual avatars has become increasingly urgent. Recently, researchers proposed a new technology called URAvatar (Universal Relightable Gaussian Codec Avatar), which allows users to easily generate high-fidelity virtual avatars by scanning with their phones. This innovative achievement not only enhances the visual effects of virtual avatars but also enables users to drive and adjust their avatars in real-time under different lighting conditions. The working principle of URAvatar is based on a complex light transport model, and it differs from previous approaches.

AI video platform D-ID today announced the launch of two new virtual avatars — Express and Premium+, aimed at enhancing the quality and efficiency of content creation. More and more enterprises are looking to use more human-like AI avatars to ease the burden of video production, particularly in marketing, sales, and customer support. D-ID's new models are designed to secure a place in this competitive market. The training time for the Express avatar is approximately one minute of video.

Meta has announced the shutdown of its celebrity chatbot project, which allowed users to interact with virtual avatars of celebrities. Despite significant promotion, the project is no longer in service. Meta's focus has shifted to AI Studio, a new tool that allows users to create their own chatbots. Initial projects included virtual characters such as Coco, Victor, and Amber, but they failed to meet expectations, particularly in attracting more celebrities, resulting in low returns on investment. Nevertheless, Meta remains committed to AI chat technology.

London-based AI startup Synthesia has announced a significant update to its platform, aimed at providing a comprehensive suite for enterprises to accelerate the implementation of video-first communication initiatives.