AI service specialist ESTsoft (CEO Jung Sang-won) announced on the 16th that they have launched the 'AI TOEIC Speaking Instructor' that can speak both Korean and English at the same time in partnership with foreign language education specialist YBM (CEO Huh Moon-ho).

The AI TOEIC Speaking Instructor which was launched this time, is the first AI virtual human in the domestic education industry capable of bilingual speech, replicating YBM's representative TOEIC instructor, Hye-won Park.

Both companies expect that the introduction of the AI virtual human capable of bilingual speech will help provide high-quality educational services and further maximize learning effects, as it has created an optimal digital learning environment for foreign language learning.

The AI TOEIC Speaking Instructor was born from ESTsoft's 'AI Studio Perso.' The service, which supports from the production of AI virtual humans to operation, offers users a differentiated experience by providing high lip-sync accuracy, natural upper body movements, and front and side video.

AI Clone technology was applied to the production of the AI TOEIC instructor. It is a technology that ESTsoft developed to replicate real individuals into AI virtual humans. AI Clone is equipped with advanced voice generation (TTS) and face generation (STF) AI, perfectly reproducing not only the appearance of instructor Hye-won Park but also the unique Korean and English accents and gestures.

The video and audio data required for production were secured in a studio that ESTsoft set up inside their headquarters with the highest specifications in the country to promote the high-level refinement of the AI virtual human. In this studio, it is possible to secure and extract high-quality refined data capable of supporting the highest quality resolution of 8K.

The AI TOEIC instructor will make its debut this month. It is expected to take the stage for YBM's newly introduced AI human online class 'Vertical (VTKL).' The subject is TOEIC Speaking, and the content prepared by Hye-won Park, the TOEIC instructor number one in YBM's national student attendance, will be taught by the AI TOEIC Speaking Instructor.

YBM CEO Huh Moon-ho expressed his excitement, saying, "I am very pleased to introduce Korea's first bilingual AI TOEIC Speaking Instructor using ESTsoft's world-class AI virtual human technology." He added, "YBM will continue to actively cooperate with ESTsoft in various fields so that we can continue to present an even more evolved learning environment."

ESTsoft CEO Jung Sang-won said, "Providing an AI virtual human to YBM, a leading education company in Korea, for educational service production, not just for information provision, in the education sector which is relatively demanding in terms of technology acceptance, is a very surprising business achievement that proves the utility of the technology." He continued, "We will do our best to strengthen the cooperative relationship with YBM and introduce another innovative educational service combined with AI." He further shared, "2023 will be the inaugural year when ESTsoft's high-quality AI virtual human services, which are immediately applicable in the industrial field, are officially offered in both domestic and international markets."

Meanwhile, the virtual human market that ESTsoft is pursuing as a new AI business has a very high growth potential and is receiving global attention. Global market research firm Emergen Research has also predicted that the global virtual human market will grow to 527.58 billion dollars (approximately 700 trillion WON) by 2030.