ESPN just revealed FACTS, an AI-generated avatar being tested to complement hosts on its college football show SEC Nation. Powered by Nvidia’s ACE, Azure OpenAI, and ElevenLabs, the bot pulls from ESPN Analytics to make complex sports metrics accessible. ESPN insists it is definitely not built to replace human talent.
Nvidia just introduced its first on-device small language model, Nemotron-4 4B Instruct, to its ACE digital human suite at Gamescom. Distilled from a 15B model, it is optimized to run locally on RTX GPUs with minimal memory and fast response times. Why it matters: Gamers can now talk to dynamic NPCs in games like Mecha BREAK entirely on local hardware, without relying on cloud servers.
NVIDIA just showcased James, an interactive digital human built on its ACE platform and ElevenLabs voice tech that connects with users using humor and emotion. The company also previewed Maxine 3D, which turns 2D video feeds into real-time 3D avatars for telepresence. Virtual brand ambassadors are quickly shifting from uncanny bots into expressive, lifelike agents.
