READY TO meet Luk.AI?
The virtual version of Luka Doncic — perhaps the first athlete to launch an metahuman version of himself that the public can interact with — is now live on TikTok.
WATCH: Luk.AI takes over Doncic's TikTok
@lukadoncic initiating…luk.ai #ai ♬ never gonna let it (but it's completely different) - Lubalin
@lukadoncic face upgrades #ai #unrealengine #behindthescenes ♬ House of the Rising Sun - Lil srwg
As of Thursday, September 23, Luk.AI has taken over Luka Doncic’s account on the popular social sharing platform. For his debut videos, this virtual personality is sporting a Jumpman Flight Suit and Luka 1 kicks, both from Jordan Brand.
“Excited about this project. Thank you to all of the amazing engineers, artists and partners that have brought Luk.AI to life,” said Doncic on Instagram.
Virtual humans are no stranger to tech platforms. Digital avatars in place of physical personalities have appeared on YouTube and Twitch over the past ten years, with Kizuna AI being the first metahuman to use the phrase "virtual YouTuber", or Vtuber, back in 2016.
Luk.AI was built using tech from Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite. The real-world Doncic provided performance capture for his virtual version, then Luk.AI was “augmented with neural network technologies,” according to Adweek’s David Cohen.
This tech will allow Luk.AI to “interact, exercise, play, and converse with fans via TikTok,” added ESPN. Through interactions with fans, he will supposedly become smarter and shape his personality even more.
"Fans can get to know him and help to make him smarter by engaging with him," promised Doncic to ESPN. "He'll reply to their comments, listen to their ideas and create videos with them, too."
The Dallas Mavericks star also hopes that Luk.AI will help his foundation reach a bigger audience. Plus, "[Luk.AI] will be partnering with Mark Cuban's AI boot camps to help teach kids about AI technology."
The future, ladies and gentlemen.
The virtual Luka will live on TikTok for now, but you might see him spinned off into games or videos in the future.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph