NS | Features | 虚拟偶像
Virtually famous
Computer-generated influencers look, sound and post on social media like real humans. What impact are they having on people who follow them, asks Tevy Kuch （节选）
SERAH REIKKA is an award-winning actor with more than 79,000 Instagram followers. She says she loves French food, cats and dressing up as fictional characters. She has purple hair. “I try to experiment with other styles,” she tell me, “sometimes with success, sometimes not really.” Then, after a brief pause, she seems to be considering something deep.“I think I am a potato.”
【单词积累】
1、Computer-generated：usually refers to a sound or visual that has been created in whole or in part with the aid of computer software or computer hardware. 计算机生成的
2、After A Brief Pause 经过短暂停顿
Serah isn’t a potato. Nor is she a human. She is a semi-autonomous artificial intelligence. A purely online presence with a changing personality and appearance, all governed by a set of algorithms. Since 2014, she has been part of a growing community of social media personalities who don’t exist in the flesh. Their content isn’t so different to that of human influencers-holiday snaps, a new outfit or two, a lot of selfies. The main difference is that all of it is computer generated.
【单词积累】
3、semi-autonomous artificial intelligence 半自动的人工智能
AI：artificial intelligence 人工智能
4、flesh n. 肉体
in the flesh 活生生地； (非摄影、画等而) 以实物，亲自，本人直接地
There are just over 150 virtual influencers online, and they are gaining popularity. Some have even surpassed the million-follower milestone. Ludo Magalu, who started out as a virtual sales associate for a Brazilian magazine, now tops the industry with over 55 million follwers across social media.
【单词积累】
5、top vt. 达到…的顶端；超过；胜过；高过
e.g. His ability topped all the others. 他的才能凌驾/超出其他所有的人。
All the while, their appearances are becoming more customisable and realistic with every technological stride. Some think they could be a force for good, fighting loneliness and isolation. On the other hand, virtual influencers might just be“yet another way people can be made to feel inadequate”, says Peter Bentley at University College London. They are also outcompeting real people for jobs. Should we be worried?
【单词积累】
6、inadequate adj. （人） (在社会上) 缺乏适应性的，不适应社会的
When Japanese media company Crypton Future Media released Hatsune Mikuin（初音未来） 2007, she was just a piece of software that changed any user’s vocal pitches, albeit personified as a 16-year-old girl. A decade later, she was a pop superstar,had released several albums and toured the globe. Miku is generally considered the first vitual influencer but the phenomenon didn’t make a dent in the Western world until around 2016, when Lil Miquela divided the internet.
【单词积累】
7、make a dent in：①给与…… (经济上等的) 影响；使……减少…… ；②[口语]（工作等）有了突破，使…略有进展
e.g. Holding that party has made a dent in my pocket/finances. 那次聚会使我的钱财受损。
I haven’t even made a dent in this job. 我的工作没有进展。
Like Lil Miquela, Shudu, the world’s first digital supermodel is powered by CGI. Shudu has been featured in magazines including Vogue and Elle and even graced the red carpet at the 2019 BAFTAs as ahologram. Teams of professionals work to make these CGI influencers look realistic. These designers, 3D animators, copywriters and producers decide how the influencers behave, including who they hang out with, collaborate with and even“date”.
【单词积累】
8、copywriter/’kɒpɪraɪtə/ n. 广告文编写人，软文写手，撰稿人
ghost writer 抢手，代笔
Producers 制片人
Some go beyond human control, however, to become artificially intelligent influencers. Powered by algorithms and computer graphics, they attract a legion of loyal fans partly because, unlike their CGI counterparts, AI virtual influencers can interact with their followers without human intervention. They pick up on human language and behaviour becoming more human-like as they go.
【背景补充】
1、Crypton Future Media 克里普敦未来媒体
Crypton Future Media, Inc.(クリプトン・フューチャー・メディア株式会社Kuriputon Fyūchā Media Kabushikigaisha), or Crypton, is a Japanese media company based in Sapporo, Japan. It develops, imports, and sells products for music, such as sound generator software, sampling CDs and DVDs, and sound effect and background music libraries. The company also provides services of online shopping, online community, and mobile content. （来自：英文百科）
2、英国电影和电视艺术学院 British Academy of Film and Television Arts
英国电影和电视艺术学院（英语：British Academy of Film and Television Arts，英文缩写为「BAFTA」）是一个英国的机构，每年颁发奖项给杰出的电影、电视、儿童电影和电视以及互动媒体。（来自：中文百科）