Photo Credit: Jung Soo-heon (LG Uplus Consumer Division VP) & Tak Young-jun (SM co-CEO)
SM Entertainment forms a partnership with LG Uplus to collaborate on AI-driven content for its virtual artist, Naevis.
SM Entertainment has announced a strategic partnership with LG Uplus, one of the largest wireless telecom carriers in South Korea, to collaborate on AI-driven content creation and joint branding efforts for its virtual artist, Naevis.
The partnership involves using LG Uplus’ generative AI technology, ixi-GEN, to create a variety of content for Naevis, including music videos, short visual clips, and concept images. Originally introduced in aespa’s digital universe, Kwangya, Naevis is due to make her solo debut this month.
To ramp up for the debut, LG Uplus has been airing a video, “The Birth of Naevis,” on its IPTV service, U+TV’s Dolby-dedicated channel, since last week. The video provides viewers with an immersive experience that highlights the story of Naevis.
“It is a milestone in achieving future-oriented content and technological innovation through creative synergy,” said Tak Young-jun, co-CEO of SM Entertainment, in a press release over the weekend.
“Our digital innovation goal is to provide new and enjoyable experiences for our customers. Collaborating with SM, a leading K-pop agency, will offer new digital experiences not only to our domestic customers but also to global K-pop fans,” added Jung Soo-heon, Vice President of LG Uplus’ Consumer Division.
Naevis, the first fully CGI (and AI) character in aespa’s universe, is responsible for helping the group and their computer-generated counterparts fight the fictional supervillain, Black Mamba. She is set to debut as a solo venture on September 10, and will feature “hyper-realistic visual effects,” as well as adapting to various forms, including 2D and 3D, to tailor to the characteristics of different platforms.
SM plans to expand Naevis’ intellectual property using AI voice technology and generative AI into music, webtoons, games, merchandise, and brand collaborations.
