Japan flocks to see a ‘hologram’ pop star
Yesterday’s post explained the basics of haptic technology, showcasing holograms that you can touch and feel.
The more advanced holographic technology becomes, the more we’ll need to think what our ‘cyber ethics‘ are on how we categorise and relate to computer generated beings.
This may initially sound bizarre, but in Japan it’s already a huge epidemic. “Hatsune Miko” has a huge following, a beautiful voice and a band of talented human musicians who tour with her. But she is….a hologram. (Well, in the strictest definitions of holography she’s “actually achieved through a special method of rear projection against a semi-transparent screen” just in case anyone picks me up on that detail! (Source: http://tinyurl.com/9b5vwo).
Check out the video below if you haven’t seen it before. (The video is slow and long! So just watch a few seconds to see her in action):
Apparently people flocked to her tour and as you can see in the video, they stood and waved their glow-sticks, responding as though she were a human pop star.
We saw a little taste of this with Damon Albarn’s “Gorillaz” a few years back, although they weren’t 3D holograms. Here they are appearing with Madonna (this video might be a bit risky for some after a few minutes…so feel free not to watch it all):
With Gorillaz or the Japanese hologram, it’s easy to tell they aren’t truly human and aren’t physically present.
But what if it could get so real that even we got fooled?
The Japanese public were shocked to find out that they had been taken in by another computer generated singer:
“AKB48 is Japan’s most popular female pop group. With give-or-take 48 members, its latest member is Aimi Eguchi, who has rocketed from obscurity to become the poster girl for a Japanese ice candy, Ice no Mi. Now revealed as a computer composite of other girls in the group, she appears below (see video):
See if you can tell the difference and pick the computer generated girl from the real ones:
I couldn’t tell. Apparently she’s the girl that you see precisely 4 seconds in. It’s fascinating that something we’ve invented can then fool us.
If we think the areas we are discussing these days – relationships, gender, marriage etc – are complex, imagine how much more we’ll have to navigate when people begin falling in love with holograms, who through haptic technology they can touch and feel they genuinely know. What will our ethics be on that?! Would it be socially acceptable to spend hours in virtual reality, building a relationship with a computer generated ‘person’? Could you marry a haptic hologram if you wanted to? Today kids in Japan are gazing adoringly at a singing cyber-projection. What will that turn into in five years, or in fifty years, I wonder…?
Singer Chris Brown’s song “Hologram” uses the term as an analogy, to describe a woman he can’t quite connect with. But it seems oddly likely that this might one day become reality for some people:
“Hologram, I’m pushing up close
But it’s hard to get to ya.
Hologram,
There’s a glitch in the system
Tell me what I gotta do now” (source: http://tinyurl.com/6egckfu)
Over to you:
- Do you think we’ll be dealing with more computer generated ‘people’ in the future, or do you think I’m just full of crazy ideas?!
- What would you do if your future grandchild told you they were in love, then you found out the person was computer generated, only existed in virtual reality and was a hologram? Would you wish you were back in 2011 dealing with issues we’ve got on our plate?!
- The more we see computer generated images of men and women, the more it will affect our sense of self-worth, as they are created to be physically ‘perfect’. Do you struggle with all the airbrushed people seen in the media and the effect they have on us?
- Would you pay money to go and watch a hologram perform with a band?
- What are your thoughts on all that I’ve said in this post?
- Vicky
I think we will be seen more computer generated people in the coming years. It was bound to happen with the advancements in technology. Will we be fooled again, haha, yes. Sadly everything is turning fake more and more in this world. I think this technology is extremely cool, i mean did anyone see the movie Avatar? awesome graphics. yet still there is an unsettlement to this kind of technology. right now my feelings toward this type of technology is mixed. would i pay to go see a hologram perform? yes, i’m a tech geek so i would. haha.
there is so much to say yet i can’t find the words at the moment to write them down and make it sound good without it being all over the place. lol. i’ll get back to this. =)
Thanks Sonia. I’m a geek too, so I think I’d also pay to watch a hologram perform, just for the experience!
Looking forward to hearing more from you
Hmm… The music business more than ever (well in my lifetime) is dominated by live performers… I hear that for many artists live performances produce the bulk of their earnings (probably due to low royalties on music downloads and free illegal downloads) the beauty of live acts is you get to communicate with the artist on deeper grounds than the music alone. The audience really is participating in the show… In a self centred world where so much of what we do is consumer centred, people are really wanting to be part of something bigger… Not only this, but the audience enjoy the intimacy with the performer – technical problems,mistakes, warts and all… Until we are able to create imperfect ArtificialInteIigence it wont be a replacement for live acts…
Look at the development of virtual instruments/keyboards etc 30 years ago they were the future… But most musicians now would rather have an imperfect vintage tele from 30 years ago (crackling connections and all!) than an artificial VST midi guitar or even a brand new tele!
B
Hi Ben,
Great point that you make on the virtual instruments… any guitarist I know would choose a vintage guitar over a virtual one! I’m sure there are a few who’d disagree…but in my circles, the vintage one would always win
There’s a new computerised guitar around…I’ll blog about it sometime for anyone who hasn’t seen it.. but I still think a vintage one couldn’t be bettered!
Crazy. It leaves me with an unsettled feeling. We flock to see animated movies, but I don’t think we ever considered the characters real (unless you’re a kid visiting Disney World). Will this go as far as the questions you have raised? Will Congress have to pass laws giving rights to holograms and legalizing marriage between humans and holograms? I don’t want to go back to “Little House on the Prairie”, but I don’t know if I’m ready to go here either!
Hi Janet,
Yes it’s pretty mind-blowing to dive deep into this kind of stuff, and realise the ethical questions it will all raise.
It’s also exciting too, as with all the complexity, it will also make for a really interesting time to be alive.
Haha…love your Little House on The Prairie reference! That kind of life did seem way simpler eh? ButI think I’d rather be living now (or in 200 years) as I”m so intrigued by all the tech-stuff
The second question you pose reminds me a lot of the scenarios depicted in the original Robot series (books) by Asimov. It wasn’t too scary when it seemed extremely far-fetched. But after seeing these pop stars worshipped and adored, and with the possible technology where actual physical feeling is possible, well, it more clearly defines the line between soul and spirit. Only the spirit of God can differentiate between reality and clever deception. I can only imagine the addictions this can spawn. Can this be used in a way that is a glory to God? If so, how?
Thanks for the book recommendation Michael.
Yes, things tend to seem less freaky when they feel far away. Then they get closer and we have to re-assess the whole thing!
It does mean we’ll need new definitions for what a ‘person’ is…
I have a few ideas how it can be used for good…will blog on them soon!
Interesting thoughts. Certainly don’t think you are crazy, I think as technology develops and time goes on and it’s more accessible you won’t just get virtual pop stars or actors/actresses but people may get tk design their one virtual husband or wife and people may start to prefer those over relationships with real people because they are more in control of those people and those relationships, and it may become an option for people. The issue that concerns me us about authentic community and relationship with human beings, both friendships and in terms if marriage, could br damaged and God’s original idea for us to be in community will be distorted, because we will substitute relationships with virtual people for real people. Thus will present a whole new range of ethical issues and issues for Jesus followers. Let’s hope that this eventually pushes us toward real community and that Christians are willing to take a stand for real community with real people. Because as realistic as they are, virtual people are never going to be real people, just an idealised version of what we want people to be.
Haha…glad you don’t think I’m crazy
Absolutely…the virtual husband/wife is definitely the kind of thing I was meaning above…a controlled, designed relationship would attract a lot of people…but it would be a sad thing for anyone to settle for.
I agree- it’s a good push toward human community and a reminder that we all need each other!
Hey Vicky,
Yes, really think these kind of issues are going to become more prevailent in both society and inevitability in the church too. The whole of issue of what is real community and virtual v real/authentic community is only going to get bigger, and we need to be ready with the answers. Thinking about the whole church/community/virtual/reality issue myself and have an idea for a blog post on that so keep your eyes peeled over the coming weeks/months for that. Thanks for writing these kind of articles, I really believe this real prophetic stuff, very much the now/not yet. Keep it up!
J.
I agree that this technology can be both a blessing and a curse. It’s amazing, and has so much potential, but I suppose it depends how ‘readily available’ it becomes before it can be misused. I imagine it could be costly to produce?
It reminds me of a film (I think ‘Bladerunner’), where the image of a band playing is projected in 3D into a living room. Wouldn’t it be cool if one day our TV’s projected a 3D image? Imagine watching Glastonbury with a miniature Pyramid Stage in the middle of the room (You could poke bono!)
Also, as a bit of a video game geek, I am of course excited by the implications that could have on games. Though again, with these online games which seem to be able to absorb a person’s waking hours it could get a bit OTT. But used appropriately, one day it would be cool if we could be ‘in’ the game! The tech at this years E3 conference was exciting enough with the Wii U and new Kinnect ideas, but who knows what they’ll have in stall for next year?
Hey Rob,
Wow, yes watching U2 in 3D at home, with a mock-up Pyramid stage…that would be cool!
Did you see the U2 in 3D movie a few years ago? That was pretty cool…but at home would be even better
Video games definitely seem to be leading the way in making these areas of technology publicly available…The lines between the gamer and the game are crumbling, which is exciting and also opens up tons of new questions…
What are your favourite games?
I did see that yes, was rather cool, I do love 3D movies!!
I play a lot of different games, mostly Nintendo, but I recently got an Xbox too so I’m exploring new avenues. I just love a game that tells a really good story while integrating immersive gameplay. The Zelda series and Metroid are my favourites.
Currently playing the Mass Effect series which has the cool feature of being able to choose whether you’re a good moral character (Paragon) or a rebel rule-breaker (Renegade), which shapes the way the story progresses with the decisions you make across the trilogy (a bit like those multiple choice books I used to read as a kid) – the next game will even feature Kinnect so you can move your character, and voice recognition so you’re actually ‘becoming’ part of the character even more. Immersive stuff!
But yes does raise issues about just *how* immersed you can get without it becomeing detremental to reality? Like that feeling of finishing a brilliant fiction book – you want to remain in the world that’s been created just a bit longer. Will that one day be possible, and is it right??
I know a few kids who will soon be going mad for the hologram girl! They are already Manguh mad! As for the ethics? It may come to the day when they are the new ‘minority group’ that we cannotdiscriminate against! But surely they will never actually be capable of truly independent thought or decision making? I was going to say that they could never reproduce so where would marriage/relationship go, but the world already accepts partnerships between couples who could not reproduce! Watch this space ( literally!) I guess! Sam x
Hi Sam,
Thanks for commenting!
Yes I can totally imagine someday when hologram ‘people’ are considered the “minority group we cannot discriminate against”. Great point!
You’re right…reproduction isn’t something that currently limits legal partnerships today, so who’s to say that the computer generated marriage idea might actually be happening some day down the line…
What are your thoughts on Manga? You like it, or not really?
I love some of the drawings! My 10 year old loves her Manguh Bible! Some of it does seem to bea bit weird tho’! All the ‘Cos’ Play’ stuff seems bit unnerving to me! Not really for the young audience that seem to like the tv cartoons.
Sam
Just show my Dad (84) the vid of the hologram! Well impressed! I’d prob go to a concert if the music was any good!
The geek side of me says, “AWESOME!!!!!” The Christ follower side of me says, “Wait a minute!!!!” If people are “worshiping” a hologram, how much will it infiltrate church worship services? With so many multi-sites and video venues, I’m thinking this is not too far fetched to see in our congregations; A hologram pastor or hologram worship leader. Will people draw a line, or see it spiritually acceptable to receive spiritual guidance from holograms? Can you imagine seeing 3D images of John Piper, Mark Driscoll, or even pastors that past away many years ago? What if hologram programmers were able to reinvent Martin Luther or John Calvin and have them preach a few Sundays? The possibilities are endless. Where would it stop (if it should stop)?