Korean Air has released a new inflight safety video featuring the ‘members’ of a four piece virtual girl group called Mave and a generated flight attendant called Rina.

By using the avatars, the airline seeks  to garner passengers’ attention and increase viewers’ engagement levels. This is the first time an airline has created a safety video featuring virtual humans, although it is certainly not the first to use animated or novelty presentations to hold passenger’s interest.

WATCH: Korean Air new safety video

The video takes place in the “Korean Air Safety Lounge” designed with airplane motives. The virtual space was created to make it easier to explain and understand the inflight safety rules. Rina, who gives safety instructions in the flight attendant uniform, is a virtual human who has completed safety training at Korean Air’s Cabin Crew Training Center and was appointed as an honorary flight attendant. Mave members play the role of passengers following the safety instructions.

“This will become a great example of the synergy created between the aviation industry and digital technology. We intend to change perceptions of inflight safety videos with these new ideas, and make them more relatable and engaging for passengers,” said a Korean Air representative.

Synthetic pop vocals have been popular in East Asia long before the rise of AI. Voice synthesizers called ‘Vocaloids’ were developed in the early 2000s, and at their peak, large ‘concerts’ were held with projections of animated characters appearing to sing the Vocaloid lyrics.