SAN FRANCISCO, June 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Soul Machines, the groundbreaking company pioneering the creation of autonomously animated Digital People in the metaverse and the digital worlds of today, announced today the launch of a new Entertainment division with the goal of creating unique and highly personalized experiences redefining fan engagement and entertainment enterprise. On the heels of a recent US$70 million Series B1 round (led by new investor SoftBank Vision Fund 2), this new business division will launch its inaugural Digital Person - an avatar of legendary American professional golfer Jack Nicklaus through a partnership with the Nicklaus Companies.
With this launch, Soul Machines continues its quest to redefine the future of digital entertainment with hyper-realistic Digital Twins of real-life celebrities, professional athletes, entertainers, and public figures. Avatars, like ‘Digital Jack’ — which depicts Nicklaus at age 38, the height of his playing career — are autonomously animated using AI and natural language processing to depict their real life counterparts in digital spaces. ‘Digital Jack’ has the ability to provide a range of user experiences by answering questions from fans, providing insight based on more than 60 years of memories. Digital Twins also offers exciting opportunities for companies to incorporate these avatars as digital brand ambassadors, elevating the future of Brand Experience.
“Our hope is to enrich the entertainment space with our humanized AI platform. Because Digital People are constantly learning, they present uncapped potential to interact with fans through empathetic and personalized experiences across cultures, languages, and geographic regions 24/7,” said Greg Cross, CEO of Soul Machines. “As a result, we have observed an increase in brand loyalty and customer engagement when digital avatars enable entertainers to broaden their reach.”
“I have always valued the ability to connect with golfers through golf course design and my writings. By teaming up with the innovative team at Soul Machines to create my Digital Twin, I now have the ability to share my passion, stories and philosophies for the sport with generations to come and am excited to be a part of this new and thrilling frontier,” said Jack Nicklaus.
“Quality is the foundation upon which Jack’s legacy is built,” said Howard Milstein, Executive Chairman of the Nicklaus Companies. “Just as Jack is the gold standard against which the golf world is measured, our goal in this effort is to create the industry standard avatar that advances this new frontier of artificial intelligence and the metaverse. In addition to the exciting technology, this new collaboration is another step in the institutionalization of the Jack Nicklaus brand, which was a goal he had many years ago,” Milstein added. “Jack wanted to ensure his company would live on, and—as with everything he’s done in his illustrious career—he’s succeeding beyond all expectations.”
Soul Machines’ new Entertainment division will be headquartered in Los Angeles; ‘Digital Jack’ is the newest addition to the company’s already impressive celebrity roster which includes NBA All-Star and entrepreneur Carmelo Anthony, launching later this summer at Collision, and music sensation will.i.am. Upcoming Digital People in the new Entertainment division include Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe, in partnership with Authentic Brands Group (ABG), owner of the Marilyn Monroe Estate and K Pop superstar Mark Tuan of Got7. More on these partnerships will be announced at a later date.
ABOUT SOUL MACHINES
Soul Machines, founded in 2016 by serial tech entrepreneur Greg Cross and Academy Award winner Mark Sagar, creates astonishingly life-like Digital People using their Human OS Platform and Digital Brain technology. These AI powered 3D Digital People have the ability to move their bodies, gesture, be aware of, and interact with on-screen content allowing brands to enhance customer engagement by delivering highly personalized, engaging, and empathetic experiences, all in real time, while expanding to a global audience. They add a uniquely immersive element to human interaction which can elevate customer experiences in the metaverse and all digital worlds.
The company brings digital workforces to life for some of the biggest brands in the world as they imagine and innovate the future of brand interaction and personal customer experience in the way they do business. Focused on creating the future of Customer Experience, Soul Machines digital people deliver highly personalized brand experiences for global brands including NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE®, P&G, Twitch, The World Health Organization, The Pan American Health Organization and more. For more about Soul Machines, visit www.soulmachines.com
