Meet Neon – A Virtual Being That Looks And Acts Like A Real Human

Cynthia McKanzie – MessageToEagle.com – Neon is so realistic that you could easily mistake him or her for a real person.

Neons’ lifelike appearance is already raising concern whether this virtual being could be misused by dishonest individuals.

Developed by Samsung, Neon is a humanoid AI chatbot that is not meant to replace humans but “to make us more human.”

Meet Neon – A Virtual Being That Looks And Acts Like A Real Human

Neon’s “artificial humans” look real.  Credit: Neon

According to the company, Neon is “a computationally created virtual being that looks and behaves like a real human, with the ability to show emotions and intelligence.”

Neon can’t provide you with a weather forecast or answer everything you would like to know. So, don’t expect too much from him because he has his limits.

“Neons are not AI assistants,” the company said. “Neons are more like us, an independent but virtual living being, who can show emotions and learn from experiences. Unlike AI assistants, Neons do not know it all, and they are not an interface to the internet to ask for weather updates or to play your favorite music.”

According to CNET, Neons are “designed to have conversations and behave like real humans. They form memories and learn new skills but don’t have a physical embodiment, at least not now. Neons can help with “goal-oriented tasks or can be personalized to assist in tasks that require human touch.” They can act as teachers, financial advisers, health care providers, concierges, actors, spokespeople or TV anchors.

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While they can borrow traits of real people and have a similar look and voice, they can’t be exact copies of existing humans, Neon said. And each Neon is unique, with its own personality.”

“There are millions of species on our planet, and we hope to add one more,” Pranav Mistry, Neon CEO and head of STAR Labs, said in a press release. “Neons will be our friends, collaborators and companions, continually learning, evolving and forming memories from their interactions.”

The Neon artificial humans are powered by two pieces of Neon proprietary technology. The first, called Core R3, stands for “reality, realtime and responsive.” That’s what makes the Neons respond quickly and in a lifelike manner. The second is called Spectra, which is responsible for intelligence, learning, emotions and memory.

Unfortunately, new technology often leads to new problems. In Neon’s case some are worried whether the technology could be used for deepfakes, or videos manipulated to show real people doing or saying something they didn’t.

Neon said that while an avatar may be based on the appearance of a real person, the technology behind the Neons is “fundamentally different from deepfake or other facial reanimation techniques.”

But the company seems confident they can handle possible security risks.

Meet Neon – A Virtual Being That Looks And Acts Like A Real Human

“CORE R3 does not manipulate an individual scene, videos or sequences,” the company said. “Instead, it creates unique behaviors and interactions of Neons in real time that never happened before. Thus, CORE R3 creates new realities.”

Neon also said it designed Core R3 with ethical considerations in mind related to privacy and trust. It secures data by using “state-of-the-art security protocols.” The only people with access to a person’s interaction with a Neon are that person and the Neon. Neons also never share private data without permission, the company said.

“By design, privacy is at a Neon’s core,” it said. “We truly believe the wonders of technology must not compromise our privacy.”

“We have always dreamed of such virtual beings in science fictions and movies,” Mistry said in a press release. “Neons will integrate with our world and serve as new links to a better future, a world where ‘humans are humans’ and ‘machines are humane.'”

Written by Cynthia McKanzie – MessageToEagle.com Staff Writer