Cutting-Edge Tech

Xie Ran remained completely unaffected by the outside world. Still calm and unhurried, he introduced the relevant technical concepts in clear, accessible terms. He spoke with confidence and ease, and whenever he came to a slightly obscure point, he would offer simple examples to explain it further.

Even people who knew absolutely nothing about the subject could tell that Xie Ran was genuinely familiar with this material, rather than stiffly reciting a script.

Comments:

[???????]

[Is there something wrong with my IQ? Why can't I understand what Xie Ran is talking about?]

[You might not believe this, but an upperclassman of mine who works in AI was watching too. He said Xie Ran's theory is feasible... Xie Ran might really have made a breakthrough in AI technology and enabled virtual idols to evolve consciousness.]

[??? Is the person above just bullshitting?]

[Has the world gone crazy? Xie Ran acted for ten years, then made a breakthrough in AI technology? Does that sound remotely reasonable?]

Author's note: Xiao Ran: It is reasonable.

Our male lead will appear in the next chapter! doge

A serious disclaimer: I don't understand technical stuff at all. All these concepts came from reference materials. The main sources I consulted were Zhihu articles on holographic technology, artificial intelligence, AlphaGo, and so on, as well as books such as "Deep Learning" and "Does God Play Dice?" But honestly, I couldn't really understand those either (:з"∠) I only copied down a few concepts, so just read it casually and don't take it seriously!

Chapter 5: Cutting-Edge Tech

For a while, Xie Ran's livestream comments were in an uproar.

The people who had initially tuned in were Xie Ran's fans, haters, and spectators there for the drama. Most of them did not understand the technology itself and simply latched onto Xie Ran's words to argue back and forth.

But once someone cited the opinion of a "professional," the netizens were immediately alerted. They began sharing Xie Ran's livestream link on Weibo and tagging prominent tech bloggers from various technology companies, asking them to assess it. Those who knew people in the industry sent it directly to them.

They called it "asking for an assessment," but what they really wanted was "debunking" and "a slap in the face." Although Xie Ran's presentation sounded impressively technical, the overwhelming majority simply did not believe that a celebrity studio could achieve a technological breakthrough.

So many major professional tech companies could not pull it off, yet a celebrity was brazenly boasting that he had done it? Even screenwriters would not dare write something that absurd!

The livestream had already drawn plenty of attention. The actions of countless netizens quickly caught the notice of many people in the tech industry, and before long, numerous insiders had been drawn in, triggering another wave of spectators and heated discussion.

Seeing so many prominent industry figures stirred up, Fang Huiwang's fans and Xie Ran's haters were instantly thrilled. They kept switching between the livestream and Weibo, waiting for one influential blogger to speak up and expose Xie Ran so they could immediately rally behind them.

They refused to believe Xie Ran would not crash and burn completely this time.

Kuang Youfang had not expected this launch event to bring such an unexpected gain. After all, aside from harvesting traffic from the anime and gaming crowd, Ambition Studio had launched the virtual idol in hopes of attracting investment from technology companies. That was the fastest route to making money.

However, the virtual idol market was currently a mixed bag, and companies with real capabilities did not think highly of celebrity-made products. Kuang Youfang had previously gone to enormous lengths, and only by leveraging the Black Star name had he barely managed to submit the project materials to several major companies.

His original plan had been to use the buzz from this launch event to show those companies Nangong Xu's commercial value.

Who would have thought that Xie Ran would exaggerate so outrageously that he would directly attract so many major figures from the industry? With Xie Ran serving as a contrast and such tremendous buzz around it, Kuang Youfang believed that no matter what Nangong Xu's quality was like, those companies would have to give it some consideration.

A smile curled at Kuang Youfang's lips just as Fang Huiwang stepped down from the stage and Ni Le went up to introduce Nangong Xu's technical specifications.

Kuang Youfang told Fang Huiwang about the situation, his tone not without teasing. "Xie Ran really is your lucky star. No wonder you couldn't bear to let him go all these years."

Fang Huiwang gave an unconvinced snort, his expression somewhat complicated. "Xie Ran was too hasty this time."

Kuang Youfang raised an eyebrow. "He was doomed to fail anyway, so he's helping us out. Once you get back together, won't your benefits become his benefits too? He won't be losing out that badly."

"Get back together?" Fang Huiwang's expression darkened slightly. Thinking of the call Xie Ran had hung up on earlier, a trace of chill appeared at the corner of his mouth. "In that case, why don't we give things another push?"

"Exactly what I was thinking." Kuang Youfang revealed a knowing smile and swiftly sent messages to several online astroturfing companies he knew well.

Before long, Xie Ran's livestream and the Weibo accounts of several prominent industry bloggers were flooded by another wave of netizens, spamming requests for the bloggers to compare and comment on Xie Ran's and Fang Huiwang's launch events.

With those people leading the charge, the fans and haters quickly followed suit. The drama-hungry spectators egged them on even more, and "Xie Ran idol consciousness" shot onto the trending searches.

For a time, the scene was explosively lively.

[Lights out, everyone. Big shots, bring out the evidence!]

[Place your bets, place your bets! Who are you betting on this round, Xie Ran or Fang Huiwang?]

[I'm betting on Xie Ran. No reason, I just admire his professional dedication to drafting his bullshit in advance. doge]

Under these circumstances, Xie Ran's fans could not accomplish anything no matter how hard they tried to control the comments. After all, even they did not dare jump out and claim that Xie Ran understood technology.

Almost everyone was waiting to watch the show.

Finally, amid everyone's eager anticipation, Lan Zhi, a prominent Weibo user certified as "Chief Technology Officer of Quest Technology," was the first to post.

Quest Technology was currently the largest technology company in the country and one of the earliest companies to conduct AI research and development.

Lan Zhi V: Mr. Xie Ran's presentation was truly outstanding! Several of the directions he mentioned, such as the synergy between neuroscience and artificial intelligence, are precisely the areas most laboratories are currently working to overcome. His analysis of the feasibility of theoretical model structures and practical implementation is even more distinctive, and I have benefited greatly from it. Personally, I now very much hope to meet Mr. Xie Ran and seek his guidance through a face-to-face discussion.