A disturbing AI-powered hologram of Nintendo’s mascot Mario at the Consumer Electronics Show 2024 event in Las Vegas was unauthorized and unofficial, the company behind the technology has admitted.
The strange-looking and robotic-sounding Mario is the work of Proto Holograms, a company that creates holograms held within large box-like structures that can be spoken to and interacted with.
Even stranger, Mario’s hologram was supposed to be a collaboration with AARP, an American advocacy group for people over 50 — apparently an AI hologram that could help address loneliness in the elderly. It was to prove that he could fight against the odds. But what about Mario? More importantly, is Mario’s broken 3D model of him with a bad voice and dead eyes?
A hologram of Mario from a CES attendee shows the stiffly animated plumber answering questions with generic answers and wild lip movements while a strange voice spews out robotic-like responses. It’s reflected.
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After the footage gained traction on social media and users started asking questions, hologram maker Proto responded.
“The AI hologram animation briefly unveiled today is an unfinished proof of concept tested by our client to demonstrate its technical capabilities and innovation,” a Proto spokesperson said. Kotaku. “It is not intended for commercial release.
“AARP and Nintendo had nothing to do with today’s inadvertent screening. The fact that so many gamers around the world took notice shows they are the best fans in the world. , we salute them.”
Eurogamer has reached out to Nintendo for comment on the use of Mario in Proto’s hologram, but has not yet received a response.