'NEONs will be our friends, collaborators and companions, continually learning,' said Pranav

Mistry, chief executive of the lab (Neon.life)

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