Interactive AI avatar by Carbon Studio at Gliwice City Days 2026
Carbon Studio, together with HOLE Films, is working on a multimedia experience prepared for the Victoria Cultural Centre (Centrum Kultury Victoria) as part of Gliwice City Days 2026 — the annual city festival in Gliwice, Poland. One of its elements is an interactive digital avatar built on technologies we have been developing for years for games.
BYŁO/BĘDZIE | GLIWICE connects the city’s past with what residents imagine next
The BYŁO/BĘDZIE | GLIWICE project (in Polish: “WAS/WILL BE”) brings together the history of the city, its present day and what residents imagine for its future. Our part is the technology layer of the experience: digital characters, voice interfaces and the systems that make conversation and interaction possible in real time.
An AI avatar you talk to in natural spoken language
At the centre of the solution developed by Carbon Studio is an AI avatar you can hold a natural voice conversation with, in Polish. The digital character listens, understands the meaning of what is said and answers in real time, reacting with facial expression and gestures generated in a 3D environment.
Unreal Engine 5, our own AI models and Bielik — what the system is made of
The system combines Unreal Engine 5, AI models we have been building in-house for years and shipping in our own games, and the Bielik language model — a large language model trained for Polish. The avatar answers from a controlled, approved knowledge base, and part of the infrastructure can run locally, without sending data to an external cloud.
Game technology finds a use outside games
This project matters to us because it draws directly on capabilities built over years of game production and R&D work on graphics, animation, artificial intelligence and voice interaction.
The same technologies that make characters believable in virtual worlds can now work outside games — in culture, museums, urban spaces, at trade shows and events, and in time as digital guides, sales assistants or helpers.
From GITEX Africa toward a platform that democratises AI avatars
We have already shown our avatar solutions at GITEX Africa in Marrakech. The Gliwice project is a further step toward a platform that democratises the creation and use of interactive AI avatars. The goal is to simplify the process significantly and lower its cost, so that advanced digital characters stop being available only to the largest organisations and productions and become an accessible tool for companies, cultural institutions, museums, events and many other uses.
Gliwice matters to us: it is where our studio is based, and where we help build the local technology community, joining TechGliwice in 2026.
Where to see the project
We are not revealing every detail of the experience yet. It is worth seeing live during Gliwice City Days.
The project is delivered by the City of Gliwice, the Victoria Cultural Centre, HOLE Films and Carbon Studio.
BYŁO/BĘDZIE | GLIWICE
Gliwice City Days 2026
Free admission.
If you are considering a similar deployment in your institution or company — let’s talk.
Key Takeaways
- Carbon Studio and HOLE Films are building the BYŁO/BĘDZIE | GLIWICE experience for the Victoria Cultural Centre at Gliwice City Days 2026.
- Carbon Studio delivers digital characters, voice interfaces and real-time interaction.
- The avatar speaks Polish and answers from an approved knowledge base.
- Stack: Unreal Engine 5, in-house AI models from our games, RAG, Bielik.
TL;DR (Summary): Carbon Studio, together with HOLE Films, is building a multimedia experience for the Victoria Cultural Centre during Gliwice City Days 2026, the annual city festival in Gliwice, Poland. Within the BYŁO/BĘDZIE | GLIWICE project we deliver the technology layer: digital characters, voice interfaces and real-time interaction. At its centre is an interactive AI avatar that holds a natural spoken conversation and responds with facial expression and gesture rendered in 3D.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
▸ What is BYŁO/BĘDZIE | GLIWICE?
It is an interactive project prepared for Gliwice City Days 2026 by the City of Gliwice, the Victoria Cultural Centre, HOLE Films and Carbon Studio. It connects the history of the city preserved in archive photographs, its present day and what residents imagine for its future. An interactive AI avatar is part of the experience, and admission is free.
▸ What does Carbon Studio deliver in this project?
Carbon Studio builds the technology layer of the experience: digital characters, voice interfaces and the systems that enable conversation and interaction in real time. That covers character animation in a 3D environment, speech recognition and synthesis, dialogue logic, and integrating all of it into something that works in a public space rather than a lab.
▸ How does the AI avatar work, and what language does it speak?
The avatar holds a natural spoken conversation in Polish. It listens, understands the meaning of an utterance and answers in real time, reacting with facial expression and gestures generated in a 3D environment. Answers come from a controlled, approved knowledge base, so the avatar does not improvise or invent content beyond it.
▸ Does the system run locally or does it require the cloud?
The architecture assumes that part of the infrastructure can run locally, without sending data to an external cloud. The solution combines Unreal Engine 5, local AI models, RAG and Bielik, a language model trained for Polish. How much runs locally is a design decision taken separately for each deployment, depending on the institution requirements.
▸ Where and when can the avatar be seen?
The experience will be available during Gliwice City Days 2026 in the public space of Gliwice, Poland, with free admission. The detailed schedule and locations are announced by the event organiser, the Victoria Cultural Centre together with the City of Gliwice. We are not revealing every element yet — some of it is worth seeing in person.