Indonesia’s digital innovation landscape marked a milestone with the official debut of Nirmala, the country’s first metahuman AI.

Developed by the creative technology firm Ruang Waktu, Nirmala is designed to interact with audiences live and without human operators.

Unlike traditional chatbots or pre-recorded video systems, Nirmala communicates autonomously with viewers on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube.

The AI-driven character responds in real time to live comments without relying on scripted input or behind-the-scenes staff.

“Nirmala is not just a chatbot. It’s a digital persona capable of natural conversation in real-time environments,” said Seto Hendrianto, Co-Founder of Ruang Waktu, in a statement to KompasTekno.

The Tech Behind Indonesia’s First Metahuman AI

Nirmala is powered by Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, enabling high-fidelity, real-time visual rendering.

Her capability to engage in dynamic interaction is supported by integration with a Large Language Model (LLM), which enhances her ability to respond naturally to human input.

Behind the scenes, Ruang Waktu has implemented a suite of technologies, including an AI routing pipeline, a latency optimizer, and persona memory.

These systems ensure that Nirmala maintains a consistent communication style while managing real-time interactions smoothly.

According to the development team, the persona memory component plays a crucial role in preserving Nirmala’s unique identity across various use cases.

From Experiment to Execution: The Evolution of Nirmala

The roots of the Nirmala project go back to 2020, when Ruang Waktu began experimenting with digital characters on social media.

A prototype version, named Demi, appeared on TikTok between 2021 and 2022. This iteration laid the foundation for Nirmala Kinandari, the metahuman AI officially introduced in 2025.

Public testing for Nirmala began in March 2025. In these early sessions, she responded to viewer comments live during broadcasts, operating entirely without backstage assistance or scripts.

First Live Commerce Appearance with Cosmic Clothes

In mid-June 2025, Nirmala participated in her first commercial deployment as a host for a live selling event with Cosmic Clothes Bandung, a local fashion brand.

Throughout the event, she engaged viewers, presented products, and responded to audience comments in real time, marking a new approach to interactive e-commerce.

Ruang Waktu sees this as only the beginning. “AI like Nirmala is designed to become a digital representative across industries, from e-commerce to media and entertainment,” said Hendrianto.

Strategic Roadmap and Public Access Plan for 2026

Looking ahead, Ruang Waktu plans to expand Nirmala’s presence across more platforms by the end of 2025.

The development roadmap also includes enhancing the AI’s autonomy, allowing Nirmala to make independent decisions in live interactions.

By 2026, Ruang Waktu intends to open broader public access and begin commercializing the intellectual property (IP) of Nirmala, positioning her as a cornerstone of Indonesia’s digital innovation movement.

PHOTO: RUANG WAKTU/HYPEABIS.ID

This article was created with AI assistance.