The Rise of the Virtual Being
On the latest episode of the Get WIRED podcast, we attend the Virtual Beings Summit and contemplate Lucy, Lil Miquela, and what it means to be human.
Some virtual beings are hugely popular. A virtual Japanese pop star has become so beloved that nearly 4,000 fans have “married” her. The US has its own entirely virtual influencer: Lil Miquela, who currently has 2.5 million Instagram followers. Her career path has followed the familiar arc of human influencers, starting with lucrative advertising deals, followed by a little bit of controversy and, naturally, an album dropped on Spotify. The sex industry has also pivoted to virtual beings—which raises questions about both the ethics and the economics of never-aging, programmable lovers.
See the full story / podcast here: https://www.wired.com/story/get-wired-podcast-3-virtual-beings/