COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Rowan Hart is a 24-year-old University of South Carolina graduate who bartends at Five Points. He’s also a singer looking to make a name for himself online.

But there’s one other thing to know about Hart: he doesn’t exist.

Steve Varholy, a Columbia artist, created the fictional musician using artificial intelligence, voice-changing technology and his own written music. Varholy told WIS that the idea of Hart began after he saw a friend do something similar.

“And then he went through the process of creating a character...an AI artist. And I was like, that’s interesting...I am going to try that myself,” Varholy said.

Varholy uses AI voice-changing software to create Hart’s vocals, describing the process as similar to advanced Auto-Tune.

“So you have the real human

See Full Page