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HYBE Acquires Superton, AI Audio Company

HYBE, which includes the group BTS and NewJeans, acquired Superton, an artificial intelligence (AI) audio company.

HYBE announced on the 31st that it has invested 45 billion won in Superton to secure a total 56.1% stake. HYBE first acquired an 18.2% stake in Superton in 2021, investing 4 billion won, and increased its stake to a majority with this additional investment. Hive promoted the acquisition of Supertone in order to realize the convergence of the music industry and technology, one of its growth strategies.

According to HYBE, Superton's AI audio technology operates in a way that combines the various elements that make up the voice. It is explained that it can generate a voice close to infinity.

HYBE said, "Voices created based on AI technology can be used for singing or acting, and they have reached the stage where they can be implemented in real time." Superton has owned research institutes and its own studios for R&D as well as intellectual property (IP), which is the basis of these technologies.

In addition, AI-based creative cases and innovative technologies were shared through a presentation on the theme of "The Future of the Film Industry to be Innovated by AI Voice." It also reproduced the voices of the late singers Kim Kwang-seok, Kim Hyun-sik, Yoo Jae-ha, Lim Yoon-taek, and Turtle Man.

It also received attention as it appeared in the AI episode of CNN's future technology documentary series 'Decoded'. The companies that appeared together include Google's DeepMind, which became famous for AlphaGO, the interactive AI ChatGPT (chatGPT), and OpenAI, which developed the image-generating AI Dali 2 (DALL, E2). Supertone was the only AI audio company.

Superton's AI audio technology can be applied to all stages of content production, from planning to production, editing, post-processing, distribution, and distribution, Lee Gyo-gu, CEO of Superton, said. "It is now recognized by creators in terms of content such as movies, animations, audio books, and games."

Park Ji-won, CEO of HYBE, said, "Superton has made rapid technological progress two years after HYBE's first investment and secured diversity in business applications. There are high expectations for Hive's production capabilities combined with superton's AI voice synthesis technology that enables extreme acting and singing."


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