David Bennett, CEO von Mimic Productions & Mimic Minds © David Bennett, Mimic Productions

21 November 2024

“This is more than just technology; it’s the dawn of a new era in human experience.”

The realm of hyperrealistic animation and AI-driven avatars is reshaping digital experiences, and David Bennett, CEO of Mimic Minds and Mimic Productions, stands at the forefront of this evolution. With a career rooted in groundbreaking work on films like The Polar Express and Avatar, Bennett has continuously pushed the boundaries of motion capture and digital human technology. His recent endeavors with Mimic Minds are pioneering a new era of lifelike, interactive avatars capable of transforming industries from entertainment to education. In this interview, Bennett delves into his journey from early VR experiments to leading collaborations with renowned artists and brands, the convergence of creativity and technology, the ethical challenges of advanced AI, and how Berlin’s vibrant landscape has fueled his innovative spirit.

Mr Bennett, you are a pioneer in the field of facial animation and motion capture. What originally led you into the world of visual effects and animation?

My fascination with animation and hyperrealism truly began when I was a college student, deeply captivated by the groundbreaking visual effects in the first Jurassic Park. The mind-blowing realism of that film sparked my curiosity and set me on a path to explore and contribute to this incredible field. At the time, I was already immersed in the emerging world of VR, long before it made its mark in the mainstream, almost 25 years later. My early experiences came from working on exhilarating gaming projects like Mortal Kombat, Ballers, Slugfest, Red Card Soccer, and Blitz, where I first delved into visual effects and began experimenting with motion capture.
This passion paved the way for a pivotal opportunity with Sony ImageWorks, where I worked on movies like Beowulf, Monster House, and The Polar Express. The latter was particularly significant, as I developed a groundbreaking tool that revolutionized facial motion capture, enabling the film to achieve its iconic level of realism. This expertise in facial motion capture opened doors to work on iconic films like Avatar, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and Tintin in New Zealand, furthering my journey in the realm of hyperrealism and animation.

You have worked with numerous renowned artists and brands. What experiences have these collaborations brought to your career and creative development? Do you see parallels between the creative and tech sectors and how do you benefit from both industries in your innovations?

Collaborating with renowned artists such as Angelina Jolie, Cate Blanchett, Kenau Reeves, Kanye West, Marina Abramovic, Jeff Koons and leading brands such Coca Cola, The MET, Warner Brothers and others has been transformative for me personally and professionally. Working with creatives who are at the top of their game has expanded my understanding of storytelling, design, and human emotion in ways that are difficult to achieve solely through tech. These collaborations have provided a window into the artist's vision, allowing us to create hyperreal digital experiences that are both emotionally resonant and technically precise. This journey has put my focus on digital humans, driving me to create advanced, lifelike digital experiences that bring realism and depth to virtual worlds.
The parallels between the creative and tech sectors are becoming more apparent as both fields increasingly depend on each other. The creative world pushes us to find innovative ways to capture and simulate human emotion, behavior and movement, while tech offers the tools to make these visions come to life with precision and realism. At Mimic, we strive to bridge these sectors by using cutting-edge tech, such as advanced motion capture, 3D scanning, facial tracking, AI-driven avatars and immersive VR, to enhance creative storytelling. This synergy is what keeps our innovations relevant and impactful, helping us deliver experiences that resonate across industries—be it entertainment, mobility, advertising or education.Additionally, the rise of AI brings transformative opportunities for us in this field, especially in revolutionizing character creation, interaction and personalization. By merging AI with our expertise in hyperrealism, we’re unlocking new realms of interactive storytelling and immersive digital humans that engage on a deeper level. AI is more than just a tool; it’s a creative partner that expands what’s possible in digital experiences across entertainment, advertising, education and beyond. This is precisely what we aim to deliver through our latest brand, Mimic Minds.

With Mimic Minds, you have created a new brand and are currently focusing on the development of real-time dialogue AI avatars. What features and possibilities do these avatars offer us? How do your avatars differ from other digital humans?

Mimic Minds avatars are crafted to bring a whole new level of connection and immersion. They’re designed to understand and respond naturally, creating conversations that feel intuitive and genuinely engaging. One of the things that make them stand out is their adaptability—they can read the context and adjust their expressions and responses in real time, making each interaction feel personal and meaningful.
What truly sets our avatars apart is their lifelike realism paired with advanced conversational intelligence. Unlike many digital humans, which can feel limited by pre-set scripts, our avatars feature nuanced facial expressions and responsive gestures that make interactions feel authentic. They’re platform-agnostic and work smoothly with Unity, Unreal Engine, or virtually any device—whether on your phone, desktop, or any screen.
Our avatars are fully 3D and can be rendered as full-body characters, providing a seamless experience whether they’re integrated on any digital device with a screen. They are also versatile, and can be transformed into different characters, creatures, or even your favorite pet, serving as brand ambassadors, customer service representatives or virtual companions. Whether delivering customer support, providing educational guidance, or enhancing brand engagement, Mimic Minds avatars deliver high-fidelity, empathetic interactions that redefine user experience and bring digital humans closer to genuine human connection than ever before.

What are the biggest challenges in creating such technologies?

Smart digital humans have immense potential for true human interaction, especially in areas like customer support, education, mental health, well being and others where they can offer impactful support. Achieving this requires significant data access to enable nuanced responses, making secure, ethical data handling essential for building trust. Adhering to regulatory standards and close client collaboration ensures these digital humans provide meaningful interactions safely and responsibly.
AI regulations, particularly in the EU, may limit some functionalities of digital human technology, requiring strict data privacy, transparency, and constraints on automated decision-making. These standards can impact certain features of our AI avatars, but they are necessary for responsible innovation.
Collaboration between industry leaders and regulatory bodies is essential to creating standards that align with both compliance and societal needs. I’ve been actively participating in global forums like the United Nations, SXSW and AWE to help shape frameworks that support responsible development of digital humans. This approach ensures that smart avatars could deliver meaningful interactions in areas like mental health support, education, and customer service—especially where human assistance is limited.

Which industries can benefit from your AI avatars and what specific applications do you have in mind?

Our AI avatars have broad applications across multiple industries, each benefiting uniquely from their capabilities. In customer service, they provide responsive, empathetic support, handling inquiries 24/7 with natural, human-like interactions. Healthcare can leverage these avatars for mental health support and patient engagement, offering companionship or guidance to those who might need it outside of regular office hours.
In education, AI avatars act as personalized tutors or trainers, adapting to each student’s learning pace and style for a more interactive experience. Entertainment and gaming can use avatars for immersive storytelling, creating lifelike characters that engage audiences in real time. Retail and e-commerce also stand to gain, where avatars serve as virtual shopping assistants, guiding users through personalized recommendations and product information.
Our AI avatars also offer exciting possibilities in the mobility sector, where they can enhance the passenger experience as in-car assistants, providing navigation, entertainment, and real-time support. In autonomous vehicles, avatars serve as friendly, interactive interfaces that make travel more enjoyable and engaging.
Additionally, in developing countries, these avatars could play a transformative role by providing accessible support in areas like healthcare, education and government services. By bridging gaps where human resources may be limited, our avatars can offer consistent, affordable guidance and companionship, helping to expand essential services and drive social impact where it’s needed most.

Which developments in technology and design do you consider to be particularly promising in the field of digital avatars in the coming years?

The future of digital avatars lies in creating hyper-realistic, AI-driven personas that seamlessly blend into both digital and physical realities. With advancements in generative AI models, real-time rendering and computer vision, avatars will soon emulate human-like presence and emotional intelligence, transforming interactions across virtual and augmented spaces. These will enable digital avatars to look and move with unprecedented realism, making them suitable for more immersive experiences in entertainment, gaming and virtual retail.
Advancements in AI-driven emotional intelligence and natural language processing stand out as particularly promising for digital avatars. These developments will make avatars more adept at recognizing and responding to nuanced human emotions, creating interactions that feel deeply personal and intuitive. As emotional intelligence technology improves, avatars will be able to provide more meaningful support across areas like mental health, customer service, personalized education, brand ambassadors, digital influencers and others.
Edge computing also shows great potential, allowing avatars to operate on various devices, from mobile phones to in-car systems, without relying heavily on cloud-based processing. This can enhance responsiveness, privacy, and accessibility, opening doors for avatars to be more present in everyday life.
Whether as companions, guides, educators, or creators, digital avatars will empower us to explore new dimensions of experience and empathy, redefining what’s possible across industries and in our everyday lives. This is more than just technology; it’s the dawn of a new era in human experience, where digital personas can truly connect with, support, and inspire us in meaningful ways.

Concerns about realistic AI personas have been growing for years, particularly due to the dangers of deepfakes. What global social measures would you suggest to secure the benefits of your technology in the long term and prevent misuse?

To secure the benefits of realistic AI personas and prevent misuse, several global social measures are essential. First, establishing clear ethical and regulatory frameworks is crucial. Governments and international bodies should work together to set standards for transparency, consent and accountability, especially in high-risk areas like deepfake prevention. This could include requiring digital watermarks or identifiers to distinguish AI personas from real individuals, making it easier to spot and flag potential misuse.

Another key measure is promoting digital literacy. Educating the public about the capabilities and limitations of AI avatars can empower people to engage critically with digital content, recognizing when something might be artificially generated. Schools, workplaces and media organizations should integrate training on AI literacy, so people can better identify and assess the authenticity of digital interactions. For example, At Mimic Productions, we also take an active role in promoting awareness and understanding of these issues by delivering workshops and talks focused on cognitive biases and how deep fake technologies work. By highlighting the complexities we aim to give visibility to these challenges, educating people on what’s possible and empowering them to recognize and address digital authenticity.
Additionally, strong partnerships between tech companies, academia and governments are essential for ongoing research and monitoring. Collaborative efforts can help develop tools that detect deepfakes and other misuses early, maintaining a proactive stance in AI safety.

Berlin has established itself as an important location for creative and tech industries. How does the city influence your work and the projects you realise?

After many years working abroad, I moved to Berlin in 2012 and started Mimic Productions out of my house. I was driven to bring high quality animated characters into a variety of different industries, since at that time the technology was available only to big blockbuster films. The decision to establish my studio in Berlin was deeply personal. Berlin's vibrant creative atmosphere and its unique blend of artistic energy and entrepreneurial opportunities spoke directly to my aspirations. Unlike any other city I had experienced, Berlin offered a dynamic environment that nurtured creativity while providing a fertile ground for innovative ventures. The city's spirit resonated with my vision for fostering creativity and exploring new horizons in the world of animation.
Mimic has grown from a dream nurtured in my house to a renowned name in the 3D world. Driven by the company`s unwavering commitment to creating the highest quality of photorealistic characters, we have accomplished over 500 projects across many different industries, making our vision a reality on a global scale.