ABBA’s Virtual Concert, The Metaverse And The Future Of Entertainment

Even pop myths are unavoidable as every aspect of life and society is constantly digitized. It was recently announced that Daddy fans would enjoy the Swedish super group, while their “Daddy-Doors” would perform in London next year.

The four spent five weeks with A/V magicians at Industrial Light and Magic, using advanced motion capture techniques to create virtual copies of the band that accurately worked on everything from dance to eye movements. . Just as in films such as Star Wars and Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, artificial intelligence (AI) missions were used to “age” actors.

We’ve heard a lot lately about metaware – the concept of recurring, digital reality, where we can share experiences or collaborate in virtual contexts. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has talked about linking his Oculus virtual reality site to the company’s well-known social networking activities. This will create a shared environment where we can socialize and play. At the same time, Microsoft is talking about creating an online company that will change the way we work online. Many of us are becoming more familiar with the use of sites to work remotely with groups during the pandemic. Here, the goal is to implement the most effective work collaboration by creating a rich interactive online work environment. It’s easy to see the potential arena where virtual pop stars can play to encourage us to move our lives online.

The digital dad performance – called Daddy Voyage – takes place at the AP Location fire station in London, where spectators buy tickets for a ticket and escort the audience as the crew can watch their success in the 1970s. But other artists have experimented with completely digitizing their shows. Boy band BTS set a world record this year by paying 1.33 million viewers to a live-streamed concert. Then, Ariana Grande took the logical next step, closing the cycle between a digital show in front of a live audience and a live show in front of a digital audience. In a show he used as a venue for a video game called Pakhwada, the star and spectator were digital avatars.

Even though we know that AI can be used to recreate dad-like looks, we can only imagine that the next step will be possible by introducing something new to his personality and behavior. It’s no big leap to think that language processing and voice recognition could one day be used to respond to audience song requests and speak.

I hope it will host some of my video material, perhaps one day to provide talks or training. The technology I use allows me to write, upload and speak my avatar in my own voice.

The focus on the integration of the real and digital domains is an attempt to create an (otherwise) interactive and experiential environment like the real world, where all our senses are digitally engaged, stimulated and accessible. online world. Online, we can access any information in seconds, but we don’t always live it, feel it, share it with friends so we can have real life experiences. Instead of being prevented by the laws of physics as we are in the real world—we can’t fly, for example—we are prevented from doing only what the program behind the simulation allows. Potential AI ends up in that range, allowing us to create virtual contexts and actors who can think, react and interact with us in real time.

The Daddy Virtual Concert will allow thousands of fans to enjoy simultaneously, eight shows a week – the work of actual band members, which can be a bit tiring at their age! In turn, treating a date with a live concert venue makes it easier for fans to access. Plus, with Ariana Grande’s performance of the fortnight, fans could, in theory, access the scene from anywhere in the world. Furthermore, in an avatar-drive environment, fans can enjoy it with digital representations of their friends, which enhances the feeling of the experience.

Of course, this raises the question of whether we are headed into a Matrix-like future, where our bodies are permanently encased in machines, while our brains are experiencing an entirely digital reality. . We have already put forward philosophical, but increasingly scientific, arguments at the beginning, and it is true that society has advanced rapidly in this matter over the past 20 years. As the quality of experience available online becomes richer and more appealing, we may find that we have no reason to put our bodies in discomfort and uncomfortable comfort while waiting for the bus. Rain to attend a concert, or, like dad’s thing, dance in a shiny jumpsuit on stage in the seventies!

There are also many ethical and moral challenges. The community is aware of some of the dangers of the digital environment such as anonymous problems, giants and the speed at which fake news becomes a real hope. In a metaverse or fully immersed online environment, it is possible to maximize the impact of these problems. But there are other factors to consider. Can a hacker take my virtual avatar and use it to impersonate me in the real or virtual world? Also, the most important application of this technique for dad fans is to allow them to live again.