Virtual Idols and Blockchain: Innovations and Challenges of the MIRAI Project

The MIRAI project has recently attracted widespread attention as it integrates three popular fields: virtual idols, artificial intelligence, and Web3. The project raised approximately $12.9 million in just one week, setting a fundraising record for Web3 projects in Japan. Subsequently, MIRAI also launched on the Alpha section of a certain trading platform, further enhancing the project's visibility. To expand its influence, the MIRAI team has also actively interacted with several popular token communities.

MIRAI is launched jointly by Aww Inc. and a certain ecological AI platform, positioned as an innovative attempt of virtual personas in the Web3 field, aiming to combine CGI virtual characters with Blockchain technology. The project integrates Aww Inc.'s expertise in CGI modeling and character design, along with blockchain infrastructure and AI technology, with the goal of creating virtual characters with autonomy and intelligent agency.

Aww Inc. was established in 2019 and is the first company in Asia focused on "virtual human" technology. The company is committed to combining 3DCG, artificial intelligence, and real-time streaming to provide highly realistic digital characters for brand marketing, content creation, and metaverse applications. Aww Inc. has achieved diversified revenue through global licensing and brand collaborations, with the most representative being the virtual model imma.

imma, with her unique pink short hair and delicate CG modeling, has become a leading "virtual influencer" in the fashion and business fields. She has served as a digital ambassador for internationally renowned brands multiple times and participated in the closing ceremony of the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics and hosted the opening ceremony of the 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo. In terms of technological research and development, Aww Inc. has established a strategic partnership with a semiconductor giant to enhance the real-time emotional interaction and voice lip-sync capabilities of virtual characters.

The MIRAI project aims to create the first "virtual idol + Web3 autonomous co-creation" ecosystem. Aww Inc. leverages its years of experience in IP operation and community management in the Web2 world to provide core support for the project. Project partners inject the power of "intelligent agents + decentralization" into MIRAI through their underlying technology and on-chain infrastructure.

MIR envisions a virtual character driven by AI, linked to a Blockchain identity system. This model enables the virtual character to make autonomous decisions, interact with the community, and receive incentives through a token economy. The project allows the community to act as co-creators and co-governors of the character, jointly deciding the storyline development and IP derivative direction. After holding tokens, the community can participate in governance, use the character's image for secondary creation, and share the profits.

However, the MIRAI project also faces some challenges. In terms of token economics, there is a high concentration issue in token distribution, which may lead to excessive centralization of governance power. Additionally, the phased release of liquidity pools may trigger price fluctuations. On the community operation level, while decentralized co-creation can stimulate vitality, it also brings issues such as content quality and copyright management.

Overall, MIRAI has innovative significance in the integration of AI virtual idols and Blockchain, providing new ideas for Web3 content creation and IP economy. However, whether it can truly achieve its expected goals still depends on the reasonable design of the token economy, the improvement of community governance mechanisms, and the ability to continuously innovate and maintain the value of virtual characters. Only on the basis of the maturity of both technology and mechanisms can MIRAI become a model for the "virtual person + decentralized economy" model.