A new kind of virtual experience could revolutionize the way music stars and other celebrities interact with their fans.
London-based Forever Holdings debuts what the British startup describes as “the world’s first voice-interactive digital portraiture.” in the room The experience allows you to chat with music legend Nile Rodgers about his life and work. As if you were with him.
To make that happen, Rodgers recently spent time recording answers to 350 questions submitted by fans. Software designers then built a program that used speech recognition and machine learning algorithms to match Rodgers’ answers to questions. you If you see him online, ask him.
“Close to a real meeting”
The National Portrait Gallery, which collaborated on the project, said on its website: “Over five hours of exclusive high-definition footage will allow you to delve deeper into the life and work of this remarkable man in a one-on-one encounter as close to a real-life encounter as possible.”
“Ask him about his unique contributions to the music industry, such as how he worked with David Bowie on his classic albums. Let’s danceHis work as a legendary songwriter, or what it was like to work with superstars like Diana Ross, Madonna or Lady Gaga.” Or simply ask if they are a breakfast person.
Rodgers said he hopes the experience will help fans “understand more about my journey, my life in the music industry, and what I’ve tried to say through my music. It gives me the opportunity to ask questions and share my thoughts in a whole new way with people I may never meet. I love this because I believe that at the foundation of music is human connection and human stories that need to be told.”
A bit like Siri
If you ask a question that wasn’t covered during the recording, the American music star will tell you and suggest you ask something else. And if you find yourself starstruck, the “Suggestion” button can help.
The team says the software works a bit like Siri and, like voice recognition software, doesn’t always listen to you properly. He added that apart from entertainment, the platform could also be useful in other areas, such as education.
You can experience a free (albeit limited) version of our virtual interview with Nile Rodgers using a few carefully selected questions at heretheroom.com. An online pass to view the full content costs £20 (about $27), a portion of which will go to the National Portrait Gallery. The content works on any device with a browser.
The team is also developing a 3D VR experience for The Interview, which they plan to make available soon.