'Virtual Human' Taking Over Show Host Role... Naver Launches Experiment on Shopping Live

Example image depicting the virtual human Isol

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Naver's first virtual human 'Isol (SORI)' will be unveiled for the first time through Naver Shopping Live on the 3rd.

Isol, jointly developed by Naver and Giant Step, is a 24-year-old virtual human interested in the beauty field. She will appear in the launch show of the new product from 'NARS' on Naver Shopping Live starting at 6:30 PM that day.

Isol is a virtual human created based on a real-time engine. Unlike typical virtual humans that synthesize faces onto real human models using computer graphics and deepfake technology, Isol features richer expression and more natural motion performance, making her debut through live commerce.

On Shopping Live, Isol will introduce the special features of products to viewers and take her first step as an MZ (Millennial + Generation Z) influencer. Enjoying finding her own preferences, Isol will recommend various spring-appropriate color makeup items based on her experience, and will also appear on live streamer Kim Haena’s ‘Close-up Beauty’ live broadcast to interact with the audience.

In the future, Naver plans to implement more advanced virtual humans by linking TTS (Text to Speech) data and combining AI voice technology. The goal is to present a fully automated virtual human capable of real-time communication with people in its own voice without voice actors or demonstrators. Starting with Shopping Live, Isol will also be active in various content areas of Naver.

Meanwhile, Naver Shopping Live is expanding the horizon of live commerce technology by integrating advanced technologies into live content. It offers live content combining metaverse, virtual reality (VR), and AI dubbing, and last month applied Dolby Vision to provide outstanding video quality, delivering a differentiated shopping experience to users.