New
Delhi
[India], April 11 (ANI): In an innovative fusion of technology and culture,
Ikonz Studios
has introduced a lifelike
AI
-empowered digital doppelgänger of legendary cricketer
Sourav Ganguly
incorporated into a Holographic Extended Reality (HXR) device.
Talking to AI on Friday
Ikonz Studios
founder and CEO
Abhinav Verma Kalidindi
described how the avatar not only replicates Ganguly’s voice, facial expressions, and movements but also facilitates live, two-way interactions with users. This groundbreaking technology made its debut with Ganguly attending the event, signifying a significant step forward in engaging fans on an immersive level.
AI
-driven experiences.
Speaking with ANI,
Abhinav Verma Kalidindi
, founder and CEO of
Ikonz Studios
said, ”
Ikonz Studios
essentially focuses on generating a digital replica of an existing person’s persona. This is precisely what we’ve achieved with Saurav Ganguly. We have developed his virtual counterpart that mimics his speech, movements, expressions, and even walking style. After creating this avatar, our next step involves introducing an innovative element into the system: a holographic extended reality device.”
That’s what it signifies, HXR—the system features a holographic interface with an avatar of Saurav Ganguly. This was introduced yesterday. The device containing Saurav’s avatar has interactivity capabilities, which is why we refer to it as this.
AI
. So you can go up to Dada and ask him questions about things that he knows and he’ll respond back to you. Like he look, I mean, exactly the way you would think Dada would. So that’s what happened yesterday. So we had a few things happen and Mr. Ganguly was also there to unveil it. So it was quite an exciting day,” he added.
When questioned regarding the concept behind the innovation, Abhinav mentioned that Ikonz consistently stood at the crossroads of culture and technology, and collaborating with someone as significant as Mr. Bachchan only reinforced this connection.
He discusses cultural aspects and bridging different cultures throughout India over numerous decades. Therefore, we feel extremely privileged that he chose to collaborate with us, enabling us to develop his digital replica. The origin of this idea stemmed from our desire to preserve an enduring legacy—a figure who has remained legendary for years. This concept led to the naming convention similar to ‘Ikonzs.’ We aim to engage with influential personalities spanning various sectors such as film, entertainment, and now, sports. In addition, we plan to extend our reach into music, both within India and internationally. However, partnering with Mr. Bachchan has truly been a remarkable journey; we’re immensely proud to have worked alongside him to realize his virtual presence and breathe life into it,” he stated.
“We have also had the privilege of utilizing that avatar in a banking environment. Recently, up until December, we achieved complete success when we used Mr. Bachchan’s avatar with the HXR device. This device has been installed at 10 different sites throughout the nation, such as in
Delhi
,
Mumbai
,
Chennai
,
Gujarat
, everywhere,
Hyderabad
, where you can visit the branch offices of IDFC First Bank and have interactions with Mr. Bachchan regarding banking services. He will guide you through their range of financial products and highlight the key benefits of the bank. You’ll be able to engage directly with him during this process. Ultimately, as part of your conversation with him, you could conduct transactions and complete various banking services right then and there. It’s really quite thrilling. The concept aims to breathe new life into well-known figures like Mr. Bachchan by bringing them face-to-face with customers.
AI
“in manners that would allow them to interact with their fans in an unprecedented one-on-one manner,” Abhinav added.
He mentioned that so far, communication has consistently been one-way, reaching many people at once.
“However, thanks to our technology, fans and consumers can now interact directly with their favorite individuals on a personal level. For companies, we develop a controlled version of Mr. Bachchan equipped with financial terminology and expertise. This goes beyond merely producing the avatar; we also generate the intelligence guiding it. The intellect behind the avatar is developed using a system referred to as an
AI
In an agentic system, we have the ability to refine the cognitive capabilities of the brain according to the specific brand context. For instance, having Mr. Bachchan appear in a banking environment would differ significantly from his presence in a retail store or at an airport. This allows us to finely tune and make more detailed adjustments to how the brain processes information for interactions that are precise and appropriate. Moreover, these interactions remain highly personalized and engaging,” he explained.
When discussing his plans to make it a personalized experience for individuals, he mentioned that they intended to initially focus on businesses instead.
“However, if consumer interest arises for having this kind of experience at home based on their positive encounters in retail or public settings, then changes might occur. At present, all current and future deployment strategies are aimed at commercial areas such as shopping centers, airports, banks, jewelers, retailers, and similar places where people frequently engage with services. Yet, should there be sufficient demand, we’ve received several inquiries about bringing this experience into homes. For now though, our primary focus remains on business-oriented applications,” he stated.
On plans to make
AI
Avatar
As for politicians, he stated, “No one has asked us yet, so we’re still in the dark. We’ve worked with Bachchan and Ganguly; meanwhile, we have partnered with an international talent agency that hasn’t been revealed publicly yet, so we’re holding off until we make the announcement official. This agency represents approximately 60% of the world’s biggest names across music, entertainment, and sports—including all the top-tier talents—so details regarding this will come out next month. Right now, things are quite hectic for us since no requests have been made, but once they do arrive, I believe we’ll be ready to address them.”
When discussing the potential for involvement in the defense or security sectors, he mentioned that he believed knowledge could play various roles here. He stated, “If there’s an application scenario where a knowledge management system needs to be implemented under any circumstances, it would work provided there are adequate safeguards. We have both the technological capabilities and the know-how. So, if such opportunities arise, we ought to consider them seriously,” he explained.
AI
Despite its drawbacks, he was questioned regarding his strategies for preventing potential misuses.
He stated, “I believe we generally find ourselves on the correct side of matters, don’t we? Therefore, we approach these influencers, explain to them the advantages of collaborating with us, since we would essentially serve as their single trusted source and an authorized partner to help deliver this digital content.”
AI
Versions brought to life, allowing us to add watermarks to these assets. It’s widely understood that when a watermark exists—something that can be verified technologically—it indicates an authentic source of information. That’s our proposal to the individuals or figures we’re engaging with.”
In this manner, folks can learn to distinguish between genuine facts and misinformation. We continuously strive to improve these segments as they are an integral part of our ongoing progress. I believe.
AI
will assist in distinguishing between false and true content as well. Therefore, regarding information, particularly concerning personality-driven material that is generated,
AI
, due to their immense popularity. Therefore, I believe such technologies certainly exist. It’s crucial that we integrate them appropriately so that we can distinguish between reality and deception. Moreover, as we continue developing these systems and expanding with additional personas, I agree that the aspect of protection you mentioned will grow increasingly significant,” he noted. (ANI)
Provided by GAPTEKZONE. (
).
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