Media release: UneeQ and NVIDIA: Pioneering the next frontier of realistic digital humans

To elevate the realism and responsiveness of digital human technology, UneeQ is leveraging NVIDIA Avatar Cloud Engine (ACE), setting a new benchmark for digital human interaction.  

NVIDIA ACE seamlessly integrates with UneeQ’s proprietary AI animation system, Synanim™. ‍

March 18, 2024, AUSTIN, TX

UneeQ's quest to create digital humans that closely mimic real human interactions has gotten a boost. The digital human leader is now deploying NVIDIA Audio2Face, part of NVIDIA Avatar Cloud Engine (ACE), a suite of technologies that enables real-time digital humans to be even more lifelike, further fueling positive interactions. The enhancement, which speeds up response time, has proven to deliver higher conversions, improved customer service and customer journeys, better staff training and enhanced web and immersive experiences. ‍

UneeQ is using NVIDIA ACE, renowned for its high-fidelity realism and low-latency capabilities, essential for simulating real-time, face-to-face conversation to overcome some of the challenges of delivering life-like digital animations in real-time.

"We required best-in-class speech animation to match the realism and ‘aliveness’ of our market leading AI animation technology and high-fidelity digital humans," says Danny Tomsett, CEO of UneeQ.

Real-time animation, particularly in AI-driven conversations, must overcome the challenge of uncanny valley (the relationship between the human-like appearance and the emotional response it evokes). The combined technologies of UneeQ and NVIDIA are now leading the way in solving this problem. People expect to have a seamless and natural, free-flowing conversation with digital humans. ‍

Tomsett will be sharing more about UneeQ’s process at NVIDIA GTC AI Conference and Expo in San Jose on Wednesday, March 20, at 2 p.m. in his talk “Creating Lifelike Expressions in Digital Humans.”‍

"Even the best-looking digital human will falter if real-time animation is creepy and slow," says Tomsett. “NVIDIA ACE has been a game-changer, providing an unprecedented level of realism to digital human mouth movements and seamlessly complementing Synanim™ to create lifelike and highly believable digital human interactions.”

“UneeQ is transforming the way we interact with digital humans,” says Simon Yuen, Senior Director of Digital Human Technology at NVIDIA. “With the help of NVIDIA ACE and Audio2Face solutions tightly integrated with their custom technology, Synanim, UneeQ can drive even more lifelike interactive experiences for customers of all industries.”

UneeQ has already integrated the technology into their digital human deployments for customers like Deutsche Telekom and Qatar Airways. And UneeQ's own digital human website concierge, Sophie, now powered by Audio2Face, handles around 2,000 conversations per week in dozens of languages, guiding visitors with remarkable efficiency and realism.

About UneeQ: UneeQ is a global leader in digital human technology, providing lifelike and emotionally intelligent AI-powered virtual beings for businesses seeking to elevate customer experiences. UneeQ's platform enables organizations to create highly personalized interactions that drive engagement, foster trust, and deliver exceptional value.