Artificial intelligence company ObEN, Inc. (ObEN) announced July 18th that it raised $5 million in strategic funding for the world’s first celebrity artificial intelligence platform, bringing their total funding to over $13.7 million. The fundraising was led by Tencent Holdings Limited, and included Fengshion Capital and CMC Chairman Li Ruigang.
“Fans may never have a personal experience with their favorite celebrity, but ObEN’s Personal AI for celebrities aims to change that,” said ObEN’s CEO and co-founder, Nikhil Jain in a press release. “Imagine being able to perform a virtual duet with your favorite artist, have your beloved movie star become the face and voice of your virtual assistant, or engage in a deep conversation with your most admired influencer. The possibilities are infinite.”
The technology is the first to combine natural language processing, speech, and computer vision technology for a virtual avatar, enabling celebrities to deploy scalable and personalized experiences with fans while saving time. Thanks to a partnership with Asian entertainment company S.M. Entertainment to form AI Stars, the technology delivers services and products combining ObEN’s AI technology with celebrity intellectual property.
ObEN specializes in virtual identities for celebrities and consumers, managing, storing, and helping to monetize them. With the funding from Tencent, known for proprietary targeting technology that assists advertisers reaching the right consumers in China, the product development of ObEN’s AI platform is accelerated, with the launch expected later this year.
