AI service specialist company ESTsoft (CEO Jeong Sang-won) announced on the 31st that they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the development of virtual human entertainers with n.CH Entertainment (Executive Producer Jeong Chang-hwan).

With this contract, ESTsoft plans to expand its virtual human business to include actors and models, in addition to existing announcers, instructors, and singers, and to specialize its virtual human agency business as a core business earlier this year. The plan that had been announced was concretized.

n.CH Entertainment, which has signed a business agreement with ESTsoft, is a company established by Executive Producer Jeong Chang-hwan, who has served as the CEO of SM C&C, and is rapidly expanding its size by recruiting promising audition program participants and more. Recently, they have signed an exclusive contract with actor and singer Hallyu star No Min-woo, completed a tour in Japan, and are starting to make full-fledged forays into the global market. Currently, their celebrities include the top 10 of 'Tomorrow is National Singer', the girl group Nature, Actor Woo Da-bi, among others.

The agreement ceremony, attended by representatives and officials from both companies, took place at the ESTsoft headquarters and focused on the production of virtual human entertainers who will be active in online platforms and metaverses, as well as the promotion of joint business projects.

During the agreement ceremony, both companies agreed to not only replicate existing celebrities in virtual human form but also to initiate a joint project to introduce completely new virtual human entertainers.

In particular, the joint project involves the creation of new virtual human-based IP, which will be co-created and commercialized by the two companies. To this end, the companies plan to actively utilize ESTsoft's person creation technology called AI Persona, as well as the image, voice, and video data of entertainers under n.CH Entertainment.

Additionally, in order to secure high-quality AI training data needed for the production of high-quality virtual humans, the companies plan to conduct additional filming of n.CH Entertainment entertainers at an ESTsoft-only studio and continue cooperation in various ways to ensure the project's success.

Executive Producer Jeong Chang-hwan of n.CH Entertainment expressed his delight at the agreement, saying, "I'm very pleased to have signed a business agreement with ESTsoft, which has the top level of virtual human production technology in Korea," and added, "I will definitely carry out this business successfully to create additional value through the global expansion of affiliate entertainers and expanding fan contacts."

ESTsoft CEO Jeong Sang-won stated, "Through the business agreement with n.CH Entertainment, which has secured IPs in various fields such as singers, actors, and models, our virtual human agency business has become more concrete," adding, "In the future, through the virtual human production and operation platform provided by ESTsoft, we will not only enhance our technology but also quickly systematize the service system so that the potential of the IP can grow and evolve explosively."

Meanwhile, ESTsoft secured exclusive rights to domestic and overseas IPs of the idol group Classi, which originated from the MBC audition program After School Excitement, in February for the creation of virtual humans, and in April, signed a memorandum of understanding with the music trading platform SellbyMusic for the production of virtual human musicians. In addition, they are in discussions with news broadcasters, educational and financial companies for the production of virtual humans.