Howie Mandel and virtual human developer DeepBrain AI have launched an interactive, synthetic version of the America’s Got Talent host. ‘AI Howie’ replicates how the real Mandel looks, speaks, and moves, allowing for realistic videos and even real-time interactions with his digital counterpart in web browsers, metaverse virtual worlds, or hologram booths like the Proto kiosk in the video above. Mandel is the latest addition to the growing ranks of synthetic celebrities expanding their careers using platforms like DeepBrain AI.
AI HOWIE
DeepBrain AI filmed a long interview with Mandel over the course of a day to gather enough training data for its AI to learn how to simulate him visually and vocally. The model incorporates hand movement, accent, and every other detail captured in the course of the interviews. Notably, Mandel insisted on wearing his signature sunglasses, something no previous DeepBrain AI virtual human wore. The developers had to design and program the AI to understand how to mimic putting on and wearing the sunglasses, making Mandel the inadvertent catalyst for upgrading the platform. The finished avatar is now available as an option in DeepBrain AI’s AI studio, where a script of both words and movements can be input to produce a video performed by the synthetic Mandel like the other avatars used as marketers, news anchors, virtual bank tellers, educators, and other roles.
“I am equally thrilled, excited, and terrified to finally have the ability of showing up and doing things without going anywhere or doing anything,” Mandel said. “Thank you, DeepBrain AI”
AI Howie can also operate as an interactive character, able to answer questions and share stories when asked, as seen in the video up top. Mandel collaborated with Proto over the summer, becoming an advisor to the maker of what the company refers to as “holoportation” machines. The kiosks can support live remote appearances or interactive virtual beings as with AI Howie and the new digital Sam Walton built by StoryFile for Walmart’s museum. DeepBrain AI and Proto aren’t Mandel’s only recent experiences with virtual versions of himself. He got to watch digital versions of himself and his AGT co-hosts perform with a virtual Elvis built by synthetic media startup and contestant Metaphysic.
The Digital Twin Business Model
Digital twins represent an important segment of the virtual human market. While employing humanlike presenters for news media websites, as friendly greeters in kiosks, and adding a face to digital customer support channels are popular virtual human use cases, digital twins are emerging as a compelling application.
The reason is pretty straightforward. Celebrities cannot scale their efforts past the hours they have available in the day. There are many more opportunities presented to them than they can reasonably fulfill. That results in missed revenue for them. In addition, it also means they have little pricing flexibility. They cannot expand their addressable market with lower-priced offerings because they only have time for high-dollar activities.
Digital twins enable celebrities to offer additional products. Their customers can purchase the presence of the real human, or they can acquire the services of the digital twin at a lower price point. Moreover, the digital twin doesn’t have scheduling conflicts. It can be available whenever the customer needs them.
The digital twin’s performance is also editable. Let’s say you wanted to use Howie Mandel in a geotargeted ad for a restaurant chain with locations in 50 different markets. You could have Howie Mandel in a studio and have him repeat the recording 50 times to cover all of the geographic markets. That is tedious but is done today.
However, what if you add a market or want to change the promotion? You would need to get Howie back in the studio, which is costly and doesn’t enable a quick turnaround. You can make the original spots in minutes with DeepBrain’s AI Studios, and changes also can be made anytime. Because this doesn’t take up Howie’s time, he also can charge a different price point which means the cost will be within reach of more advertisers. This offers a significant market expansion option.
SYNTHETIC CELEBRITY
AI Howie is DeepBrain AI’s first American celebrity, but the South Korean developer already counts multiple Asia-based news anchors and Premier League soccer star Son Heung-Min among its avatars. Current South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol even used a DeepBrain replica during his campaign for office. And DeepBrain is hardly alone in seeing how celebrities might like to have digital versions of themselves available. Soul Machines has produced a digital clone of professional golfer Jack Nicklaus (albeit one looking several decades younger) as well as basketball star Carmelo Anthony. Meanwhile, StoryFile already built a digital William Shatner, Ed Asner, and other celebrities before producing Walton. And Metaphysic was most famous for a virtual Tom Cruise before auditioning for AGT. Mandel marks the ongoing adoption of synthetic media and could end up boosting DeepBrain AI’s presence in the market.
“Our vision is to humanize digital experiences and empower creative teams to generate immersive content at scale,” DeepBrain AI CEO Eric Jang said. “Working with Howie Mandel was a fun experience, and we are excited to see how the AI Howie collaboration will connect with his fans worldwide.”
[Source by synthedia & voicebot.ai]
FAQs
Q. Is Howie Mandel a Millionaire?
Yes, Howie Mandel is a millionaire. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Howie Mandel has a net worth of $60 million dollars. He has had a successful career as a comedian, television personality, actor, and producer, and has earned a significant amount of money from his various endeavors.
Q. What nationality is Howie Mandel?
Howie Mandel is Canadian. He was born on November 29, 1955, in Toronto, Canada.
Q. How much does Howie Mandel get paid?
Howie Mandel currently resides in California. He has a beautiful mansion in Hidden Hills, California that he shares with his wife, Terry Mandel. Howie has long had a knack for real estate and flipping houses. In 2018, he and Terry purchased a Hollywood Hills farmhouse for $2.6 million, renovated it, and sold it for $9.5 million in 20201. He also owns several condos in downtown Santa Monica that he purchased in 2016
Q. How much does Howie Mandel get paid?
Howie Mandel has had a successful career as a comedian, television personality, actor, and producer. For his work on “America’s Got Talent,” Howie Mandel earns a salary of $70,000 per episode. In 2018, he was reported to have a yearly salary of $14 million. However, it is important to note that these figures are estimates and may not be completely accurate.
