Visual effects studio Digital Domain has brought its Autonomous Virtual Human project to Amazon Web Services, which will provide generative AI and machine learning tools and provide Digital Domain’s creations and processes a home in the global cloud. The collaboration “aims to propel the evolution and global reach of Digital Domain’s AVH technology and expand its use for multiple industries, including entertainment, gaming, healthcare, hospitality, and commercial applications,” Amazon said in a statement that emphasizes “AWS cloud services, particularly Amazon Bedrock,” as providing the infrastructure and adaptability “to drive AVH’s growth.”

An early leader in virtual humans, Digital Domain’s expertise dates back to extras and doubles created for co-founder James Cameron’s 1997 release “Titanic,” gaining steam with a virtual likeness of the late rapper Tupac Shakur, which performed holographically at the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

In 2020 the company launched its Autonomous Virtual Human initiative, achieving a milestone two years later with Zoey, introduced in 2022. Powered by machine learning, Digital Domain at the time called Zoey “the world’s most advanced autonomous human,” and has continued developing the automaton’s capabilities.

The AI foundation models of Amazon Bedrock are expected to significantly advance the abilities of Digital Domain’s virtual humans in real-time interactions.

“Additionally, Digital Domain is using Amazon Polly to help enhance voice outputs, and is considering using Amazon Rekognition for facial recognition and video-based services,” according to Amazon’s announcement.

Through a partnership with tech consulting firm Slalom, Digital Domain has “transitioned all AVH workloads to AWS in just nine months, enabling the company to scale AVH technology to meet the burgeoning global demand for real-time, AI-powered customer interactions,” according to the Amazon announcement. AWS security and compliance features were important considerations, protecting the company’s proprietary data and adding scalability to the AVH platform.

In Variety, Digital Domain CEO Daniel Seah called the AWS collaboration “a significant milestone” for his firm’s ambitions in virtual human technology, “expanding its accessibility to a global audience,” particularly as concerns the company’s “partnership with airport hospitality firm Plaza Premium Group.”