These 'artificial humans' look real. Samsung unveils AI-powered avatar Neon

A Samsung lab on Tuesday unveiled a digital avatar it described as an AI-powered "artificial human," claiming it is able to "converse and sympathize" like real people.

The announcement at the opening of the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show touted a new kind of artificial intelligence called NEON, produced by the independent Samsung unit Star Labs.

The technology allows for the creation of customized digital beings which can appear on displays or video games and could be designed to be "TV anchors, spokespeople, or movie actors" or simply "companions and friends," according the California-based unit of the South Korean giant.

The company, while promoting the life-like AI also mentioned that these are 100% visually real, "like you and me" and "existing among us from all walks of life." In other words, these AI-powered digital avatars are not an AI assistant, neither an interface to the internet nor a music player, but "simply, a friend."

Pranav Mistry, chief executive of the lab, in a tweet said, "It can now autonomously create new expressions, new movements, new dialog (even in Hindi), completely different from the original captured data."

Earlier, since around mid-December, there has been a lot of speculation as to what Neon is exactly. The Neon lab has been tweeting out teasers with a focus on the word Artificial Intelligence. Its LinkedIn page says, "Neon is bringing science fiction to reality. It is home to the best of the best scientists, mathematicians, engineers, strategists, and designers from all around the globe, with the mission to imagine and create a better future for all." Here is a teaser of the same:

"NEONs will be our friends, collaborators and companions, continually learning, evolving and forming memories from their interactions," added Mistry.