What's Going On With K-Pop Group Aespa And Its AI Avatars?

SM Entertainment's announcement of its new girl group Aespa this week has left K-Pop fans intrigued, confused and concerned. The company's launch of its first all-female act since 2014 is making news for including real and virtual members. The members introduced so far are Giselle, Ningning, Karina and Winter. Each of them is expected to have an AI avatar that will also be part of the group. SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man said this was part of larger SM Culture Universe (SMCU) which he launched at the World Cultural Industry Forum in Seoul on Wednesday.