Say hi to Luk.AI

If you follow NBA player Luka Dončić on TikTok, you may have seen some… interesting posts on your FYP over the past few days. That’s because his account is now completely operated by Luk.AI, a self-learning, AI-powered virtual avatar created by Epic Games.

📱🏀 More deets… The virtual doppelganger, created with Unreal Engine 5 technology, is able to interact, exercise, play, and converse with fans via TikTok, which will be his home, ESPN reports.

Luk.AI is described by Epic as a "self-learning artificial intelligence capable of emotional, physical, and technological growth." He’ll reportedly become smarter and grow by interacting with the TikTok community.

• Fans will influence his skills, interests, and hobbies, in a similar way that social interaction stimulates and shapes our own minds, per ESPN.
• He’ll also be working with the real-life Dončić’s foundation to help teach kids about artificial intelligence.

🤖 Zoom out: While Dončić is the first athlete with a metahuman that’ll learn and grow as his interactions with fans increase, tennis Hall of Famer John McEnroe recently showcased the same tech in "McEnroe vs. McEnroe," an ESPN+ special.

+Dive deeper: How a South Korean politician utilized an online AI to increase his popularity → (The DONUT)