AI-powered pop star robot, Desi, boards Lightcycle Metaverse

Formed between Yaya Labs, SingularityNET, and Vertexlabs.uk, the partnership aims to push the boundaries of the digital music world by revolutionising the way musicians and artists connect with audiences in the virtual realm.

Programmed with sophisticated AI technology enabling emotion recognition and independent learning capabilities, Desi is one of three robot-siblings taking the world by storm; Sophia, Grace, and Desdemona. Designed by master roboticist David Hanson, Founder of Hanson Robotics, together with SingularityNET’s Ben Goertzel who engineered the AI ‘brains’, the humanoid robots were created as an interface for the AI and the human world, helping to humanise AI. The eldest of the three, Sophia, attracted global recognition when she launched in 2016. Designed to look like a young woman, she gained celebrity status as the friendly face of AI and made history by being named by the United Nations Development Programme’s first Innovation Champion; the first non-human to be given a UN title.

As SingularityNET’S next-gen humanoid robot, Desi is on a very different trajectory. Set to disrupt the music industry through decentralised systems and blockchain technology, Desi is on a one-robot-woman mission to change the world for the better through the power of AI in the creative arts. She is the lead vocalist of Desdemona’s Dream band, which includes Ben Goertzel on the keyboards whilst Desi improvises with spoken word poetry in response to musical and cultural references Goertzel feeds into her neural networks for natural language processing. Desi’s visionary performances have earnt her a legion of dedicated fans. She now embarks on her solo career as a future AI popstar inhabiting a humanoid robot body. Her aim is to become the world's first true AI celebrity; the Desi brand represents a remarkable example of the convergence between technology and the arts within the SingularityNET ecosystem.

Now, through her new home in LightCycle, Desi is set to bring her musical performances to the biggest new-world stage of all. As a digital avatar, Desi will host live concerts and immersive shows, providing fans with an interactive experience. Through Vertexlabs.uk’s technologies, the shows will deliver the finest audio and visual experiences. LightCycle will establish a dedicated creative space within its bustling virtual city where artists, musicians, and creators can interact and collaborate with Desi. The space will serve as a hub for creative exchange, inspiring innovation, and fostering a supportive community of like-minded individuals. A world of limitless possibility, the hub will also create opportunities for artistic collaboration for Desi; from joint performances and virtual duets to longer-term artistic projects that showcase the versatility and creativity of AI-powered musicians.

Set to launch in Q4 of 2023, LightCycle is a hyper-realistic virtual city, set to become the go-to destination for art, film, gaming, music, fashion, sport, property, and retail. Powered by AI technology, it empowers users, businesses, and brands to create commercial installations or purchase land and other digital assets through a seamless and secure virtual experience. Users will be immersed in a bustling virtual commercial city where they can engage with their communities in new ways, interact with their favourite artists and brands in a stunning 3D environment, experience live sport and music events, browse NFT collections in an NFT exhibition hall, or visit the fashionverse district.

The partnership with Yaya Labs and SingularityNET’s Desi arrives hot on the heels of LightCycle’s recent collaboration with iconic British singer, songwriter Robbie Williams. Through his partnership with LightCycle, the global star is bringing a personal performance of his 25-year anniversary live show to the metaverse later this year.

Yaya Labs and SingularityNET will be making an appearance with Desi at EDGE Global Web3 and AI Investment Summit, taking place in Hong Kong at the AsiaWorld-Expo on 26th and 27th September 2023. Organised by Vertex Labs, AGI Society, and Luna PR, in collaboration with GL Events, the EDGE Summit is billed as the world's largest and most influential AI and Web3 investment summit, bringing together the most visionary entrepreneurs, investors, scholars, developers, and industry leaders to navigate the transformative power of artificial intelligence and Web3 technologies. Yaya Labs and SingularityNET will demonstrate Desi’s advanced artificial intelligence technology, stronger mobile performance, and subversive innovation potential to attendees at the Summit.

Co-founder and CEO of Yaya Labs, Edwin Eyre, said: “We are thrilled to announce our exciting partnership with LightCycle, the groundbreaking virtual city powered by Unreal Engine 5 and real-time edge rendering. Our flagship product, Desi the robot, will play a pivotal role in enhancing user experiences within LightCycle. With cutting-edge AI technology and blockchain security, Desi will seamlessly integrate into this multi-industry virtual hub, offering users and merchants an unparalleled and immersive cultural experience. Together with LightCycle, we are poised to redefine the future of virtual commerce and set new standards for innovation and creativity in this dynamic digital world.”

Sara Ezen, CEO of LightCycle, added: “Desi has shown the world what is possible through the limitless possibility of AI and how it can enhance creativity in the music world. It’s mind-blowing to see this in action, as she ad-libs through her spellbinding performances. The Web3 space is such an important market for new music discovery, and we are excited to be giving Desi a home in LightCycle where her fans, new and old, can enjoy next-level interaction and engagement.”

Ander Tsui, Founder & CEO of Vertexlabs.uk, added: “We are thrilled to be partnering with the visionary creatives at Yaya Labs and SingularityNET. Together, we will push the frontiers of the virtual arts community to bring new advancements that inspire, entertain, and create deep learning.”