K-pop company SM Entertainment has officially partnered with South Korean mobile network operator LG Uplus in a deal that will see them develop AI-powered content for their first virtual artist, Naevis, according to an official announcement.
“The digital innovation that LG Uplus pursues is to provide new and enjoyable experiences to customers,” Jeong Su-heon, vice president and head of LG Uplus Consumer Division, said. “Our collaboration with SM, a leading domestic entertainment agency, will not only provide new digital experiences to U+ customers but also to global K-pop fans, and we expect it to create great synergy in terms of marketing and branding.”
“The value of providing new AI experiences that LG Uplus pursues to customers is in line with SM’s goal of providing new K-pop values to fans through Naivice.” SM Co-CEO Tak Young-joon said. “The collaboration between LG Uplus’ generative AI Ixigen and SM’s virtual artist Naivice goes beyond a simple business partnership and will be an important milestone in realizing future-oriented content and technological innovation through creative synergy between the two companies.”
The companies plan to provide innovative AI experiences to K-pop fans around the world by producing music videos, shorts, goods, etc. using images and videos generated by Ixigen.