Key Takeaways
- Synthesia's "Expressive Avatars" can now respond to text prompts with human-like expressions and movements;
- These improvements are a result of training with real people, who performed script readings to make the AI avatars respond more accurately;
- The AI avatars' new ability to emotionally connect broadens their use in sectors like healthcare and marketing.
Synthesia, an AI startup backed by Nvidia, has recently enhanced its AI avatars, enabling them to display human emotions for the first time.
The "Expressive Avatars" feature, announced on April 25, allows avatars to respond to text prompts with accurate emotional reactions.
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Victor Ribarbelli, CEO and co-founder of Synthesia, explained that previous AI models often failed to realistically mimic human expressiveness because they did not truly comprehend what they were saying.
However, he highlighted that their new technology has greatly improved the avatars' performance:
With "Expressive Avatars" we have transformed them into actors that understand what they are saying and can deliver their lines in a way that is much more engaging and natural than before.
The update includes better emotional recognition, improved lip-syncing, and more human-like voices and expressions. Avatars can now respond to simple emotional prompts, such as "I am happy" or "I am frustrated," by adjusting their facial expressions and vocal tones accordingly.
These improvements are credited to an intensive training program in which real people performed scripted readings to refine the avatars' movements and emotional accuracy.
Ribarbelli added that this innovation unlocks new AI avatar use cases in fields like healthcare education, product marketing, and customer support, as they can now better connect with the audience on an emotional level.
This capability extends across over 130 languages, complete with features like closed captioning and voice cloning, allowing for a wide-reaching impact.
Synthesia's impressive clientele includes more than half of the Fortune 100 companies and industry giants like Microsoft and Zoom. Founded in London in 2017, the company has grown to a valuation of nearly $1 billion.
With this release, Synthesia is not just advancing the technical capabilities of AI but also enhancing its practical applications in business.
In other AI-related news, Mark Zuckerberg has announced progress on creating a wearable device that will allow users to control devices through brain signals.
