2019 Virtual Beings Group China Timeline
2019 Virtual Beings Group China Timeline
- 2019, December - Chongqing showcases the country’s first independently developed real-time digital human (DAWA).
- 2019, December - Sogou’s vocational avatar “Yanny” is used in a Guangzhou contemporary art exhibition (monologue + audience interaction).
- 2019, December - Reports indicate China will require AI- or VR-generated videos to be clearly labeled starting in 2020.
- 2019, November - “World’s first” AI news anchor reported as live in China (referenced via CNBC in the source capture).
- 2019, November - Supersphere broadcasts a CS:GO esports event in VR.
- 2019, October - Huawei VR Glass is highlighted as officially launched in China.
- 2019, October - Discussion surfaces around trademarking/ownership/ethics of virtual influencers and identity control.
- 2019, October - U.S. actions targeting Chinese AI firms are referenced (SenseTime, Megvii, iFLYTEK, Yitu).
- 2019, September - Luo Tianyi discussed as a China-style “virtual idol” model tied to voice/Vocaloid lineage (distinct from VTubers).
- 2019, August - Sogou unveils its AI vocational avatar “Yanny” at China Online Literature+ Conference 2019.
- 2019, August - Sogou launches a Chinese-speaking AI customer service avatar for financial services.
- 2019, August - Luo Tianyi’s Shanghai concert is noted as drawing nearly 5 million viewers (virtual idol scale).
- 2019, August - iQIYI debuts virtual idol group RICH BOOM at Scream Night 2019 alongside major pop acts.
- 2019, July - Virtual Beings programming appears at SIGGRAPH 2019 (virtual avatars / deepfakes / facial mocap topics).
- 2019, June - AI virtual anchors (Sogou + Xinhua) described as moving toward mass production across sectors (media/finance/health/education).
- 2019, June - Sogou announces the world’s first Russian-speaking AI news anchor.
- 2019, May - ObEN vs Sogou framed as competitors in China TV; Sogou’s synthetic anchors “Xin Xiaomeng / Xin Xiaohao” referenced.
- 2019, April - Shanghai Pudong Development Bank initiates a “digital human plan” (banking adoption).
- 2019, April - China livestream persona-vs-reality gap highlighted (context for virtual personas / synthetic identities).
- 2019, March - HRNet human pose estimation highlighted (enabling tech for avatars/digital humans).
- 2019, February - VR storytelling activity noted via an AltspaceVR event/session reference involving China-linked participation.