{"rewrite":{"id":"r_5801dd296a53eec6c12e0aa4","clusterId":"c_3be70b38216069a604d13334","slug":"sb-c-s-adds-aww-s-hito-ai-virtual-human-to-its-lineup","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"SB C\u0026S Adds Aww's HITO AI Virtual Human To Its Lineup","summary":"SB C\u0026S will begin handling Aww's HITO interactive AI virtual human on October 22, 2026. HITO reproduces a human appearance on screen and talks with visitors in real time, covering reception, facility guidance, FAQ response and multilingual customer service. It runs on commercially available PCs, monitors, microphones and speakers, supports up to 15 languages based on Japanese, English and Chinese, and can be deployed in as little as a week when an existing character is used.","whyItMatters":"The deal puts Aww's virtual human work in front of SB C\u0026S's nationwide reseller reach, at a point when labor shortages and inbound tourism are pushing companies toward AI that sits at the front desk rather than behind a chat window.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe product\u0026#39;s bottleneck is speed. HITO processes speech recognition, a large language model, speech synthesis and lip-sync in real time, with responses as fast as 0.85 seconds and about 1 to 2 seconds on average.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCompanies can register their own information as a knowledge base and set tone, expressions and prohibited topics. Aww also draws on its work running the virtual influencer imma to design personas, including digital twins of real people. Targeted settings include tourism and transport, local government, medical care, retail, hotels and corporate reception. Full equipment rental is an option.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"HITO runs on PCs, monitors, mics and speakers a shop already owns, so SB C\u0026S is selling a front-desk upgrade rather than new hardware. The one-week deploy with existing characters is the part that lowers the entry cost.","twitterPost":"HITO needs only a PC, monitor, mic and speakers, so SB C\u0026S sells a front-desk upgrade, not a hardware purchase.","threadsPost":"SB C\u0026S is positioning HITO as a software layer on hardware shops already own: a PC, monitor, mic and speakers. The one-week setup with an existing character is what makes the entry cost low enough to pitch as a reception upgrade rather than a new device purchase.","newsletterBlurb":"SB C\u0026S begins distributing Aww's HITO, an on-screen virtual human that handles reception, guidance and multilingual service. It runs on standard PC hardware and can be configured with company knowledge and a custom persona. Deployment with an existing character can take as little as one week.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"ASCII.jp\",\"url\":\"https://ascii.jp/elem/000/004/444/4444947/?rss\",\"title\":\"SB C\\u0026S Begins Handling of Aww's \\\"HITO\\\" Interactive AI Virtual Human\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4572,"outputTokens":584,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1792651942,"createdAt":"2026-10-22T06:48:43.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-10-22T06:51:09.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-22T06:51:09.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_3be70b38216069a604d13334","canonicalTitle":"SB C\u0026S、対話型AIバーチャルヒューマンを提供するAwwの「HITO」の取り扱いを開始","representativeArticleId":"a_27631fdcbf64674ceb94b35a","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"HITO\"],\"studios\":[\"Aww\",\"SB C\\u0026S\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"business\",\"domain\":\"vtuber\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-10-22T04:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-10-22T04:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-22T06:51:07.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"ASCII.jp","url":"https://ascii.jp/elem/000/004/444/4444947/?rss","title":"SB C\u0026S、対話型AIバーチャルヒューマンを提供するAwwの「HITO」の取り扱いを開始"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["HITO"],"studios":["Aww","SB C\u0026S"],"people":[],"type":"business","domain":"vtuber","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}