CNBC AI News, May 21 — SenseTime, the Hong Kong-listed AI giant, unveiled China’s first digital avatar of ancient philosopher Lao Tzu during a “Dialogue Across Time” event at Hangu Pass in Henan province, a site deeply rooted in Taoist history and the legendary birthplace of the Tao Te Ching.
The Hangu Pass, where Lao Tzu is said to have penned the foundational Taoist text over 2,500 years ago, served as a symbolic backdrop for the launch. The event highlighted SenseTime’s fusion of cutting-edge AI with cultural heritage preservation, positioning the technology as a bridge between classical wisdom and modern innovation.
Leveraging over 2 million polygons for hyper-detailed 3D modeling, SenseTime’s digital Lao Tazu captures the philosopher’s iconic features — from his flowing beard to historically accurate Spring and Autumn period robes, meticulously designed based on classical texts. A proprietary “Philosophical Thought-Driven Micro-Expression System” enables nuanced facial movements, including contemplative frowns and signature beard-stroking gestures.
The avatar’s conversational capabilities stem from an AI framework trained on 100,000+ philosophical commentaries and semantic analyses of the Tao Te Ching. During a live demonstration, when pressed about his mysterious post-Hangu Pass whereabouts, the digital Lao Tzu responded pragmatically: “Where I traveled matters less than where the Tao resides — and as it lives within you, here I stand before you now.”
The project underscores China’s growing focus on AI-driven cultural preservation, with SenseTime positioning its “digital human” technology as both an educational tool and a potential template for virtual tourism experiences. As generative AI reshapes creative industries, such innovations raise intriguing questions about how ancient wisdom might find new relevance — and revenue streams — in the algorithmic age.
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