Curly hair, dreamy eyes, disarming smile and a musician to boot — young ‘Aishan’ has all the ingredients of a Prince Charming, except that he isn’t human but an AI-generated avatar of a new-age ‘pop star’.
Aishan, whose name also reflects the story of his origin, took the centrestage on Saturday night along with ‘Ruh’ at the India Today Conclave here.
Stylised as a free-spirited character with a bohemian vibe, ‘Ruh’ is the female avatar of a pop star or an ‘A-Pop’ star, as their makers would like to describe the genre.
A-Pop refers to a harmonious mix of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with human interventions to create music. It could mean lyrics penned by a human being sung by an AI-driven ‘singer’, visually an amalgamation of real and AI-generated imageries.
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In February, the song “Purana Pyar” was dropped on various music platforms, and the artiste’s name mentioned was Aishan.
Similarly, Ruh was attributed as the artiste for the song “Rehna Tere Saath”.
Towards the end of the conclave on Saturday night, Kalli Purie, vice-chairperson and executive editor-in-chief of India Today Group, announced in her address that “Aishan is AI”.
A video of the song “Purana Pyar” was played just before she made the revelation, leaving many in the audience surprised.
Aishan may be an AI avatar, but he has been stylised as a human. In the video, he ‘sings’, ‘plays the guitar’ and even engages in ‘romantic courtship’, all set against scenic backgrounds, making it difficult to tell if it is real or AI-generated as this is a genre-bending entertainment realm — A-Pop.
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According to a note shared by the India Today Group, the character of Aishan is a “22-year-old from Delhi with roots in Bareilly and Jodhpur”, who has been creating music since he was 17, blending indie acoustic, pop, and Ed Sheeran vibes.
“Inspired by new people and sounds, his lyrics reflect his thoughts and experiences. An ambivert, he connects with fans but values his quiet moments. A Nainital soul, he’s drawn to the mountains while also being a dog lover, bike enthusiast, sneakerhead, and food explorer, all with a classy, old-money style,” the note said.
At the conclave, Aishan interacted with Kalli Purie and even answered a few questions about the song.
“‘Purana Pyar’ is like ‘garam chai’ on a cold winter morning,” Aishan said, as his face was beamed on the wide digital screen, projected as if a human had joined on a video call.
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Purie said that along with Aishan, a female avatar — Ruh — was also created whose future path seems ambitious.
“At 24, this Delhi native is free-spirited, independent, and all about living life to the fullest,” read her character profile shared in the note.
With an extroverted and vibrant personality, Ruh embraces adventure and travel, exploring new cultures with a hippy vibe.
Driven by personal freedom, self-expression and individuality, she inspires others to live authentically and pursue their passions without the fear of judgment, the note said.
The video of the song “Rehna Tere Saath” was also played on the occasion, showing Ruh transforming into a bird at one point and flying freely into the horizon, an act perhaps easier to execute for an AI avatar than for a human actor aided with special effects on screen.
