NAVIS, SYNK & REKALL — Here’s What These Confusing aespa AI Terms Really Mean

Are you finding the AI avatar concept for SM Entertainment‘s new girl group aespa confusing? If so, you’re not alone. Numerous fans are struggling to understand the meanings of terms like NAVIS, SYNK, and REKALL. Thankfully, we have some simple explanations for all of them.

NAVIS is the artificial intelligence (AI) system that helps aespa’s avatar members connect with their real-life counterparts.

| aespa/YouTube

In the MY, KARINA video, æ-Karina reveals that NAVIS told her about the existence of human Karina and helped the two of them meet.

| aespa/YouTube

If NAVIS never helped… Karina and I would have never met.

— æ-Karina

In Korean, NAVIS is pronounced similarly to the word “nabi” meaning “butterfly”, tying in with the butterfly motif fans have noticed in the group’s logo. It may also be based on JARVIS, the AI system in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

| aespa/YouTube

SYNK is how the aespa members and their avatars communicate with each other. It is currently assumed that SYNK will also be released as a mobile application for fans.

“æ-KARINA: Stop sleeping, Karina!” | aespa/YouTube

In the MY, KARINA video, Karina recalls the first time she received a SYNK message from æ-Karina. The message shown was text-based, but it’s likely that SYNK includes video and audio messages too.

| aespa/YouTube

The term SYNK is based on the word “synchronization”. It’s also similar to SM Entertainment‘s current fandom app, LYSN. LYSN hosts popular Dear U messaging service, which artists use to communicate directly with fans.

| SM Entertainment

REKALL time is the time aespa’s avatar members and real members spend together in the real world.

| aespa/YouTube

In the MY, KARINA video, æ-Karina said she wished that REKALL time would never end. At the end of the video, she was sadly pulled back to her AI world when REKALL time was over.

| aespa/YouTube

No! REKALL time is over now.

— æ-Karina

Today, SM Entertainment also released an avatar image teaser captioned “Winter with REKALL time”, which featured Winter and æ-Winter together in the real world.