AI Sales Avatars Outperform Humans in China
▼ Summary
– A Taobao salesperson for Brother printers is actually an AI-powered “virtual human” avatar that livestreams 24/7, with subtle glitches revealing its non-human nature.
– The avatar was created by Shanghai-based PLTFRM, which uses AI models from Baidu and DeepSeek to generate scripts and has deployed around 30 similar avatars on Chinese ecommerce sites.
– Brother claims the AI avatar sold $2,500 worth of printers in its first two hours and increased livestream sales by 30%, consistently outperforming human salespeople.
– This raises concerns about AI avatars displacing human livestream sellers, especially as the technology becomes more advanced, accessible, and cheaper.
– While currently restricted on Douyin (China’s TikTok), AI-generated influencers and ads are already widespread on U.S. platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
On Chinese ecommerce platforms, a new kind of sales representative is taking over, one that never sleeps, never takes a break, and consistently outperforms human counterparts. These AI-powered sales avatars are rapidly transforming digital retail, offering round-the-clock service and surprising levels of engagement that are reshaping consumer expectations and sales outcomes.
Take, for example, the woman in a crisp white shirt and black skirt tirelessly promoting Brother printers on Taobao. At any hour, she’s there, smiling, gesturing, and enthusiastically describing product specs. She holds a phone, occasionally glancing down as if checking comments or prompts. Her tone strikes a careful balance between approachable and professional, a hallmark of successful livestream selling in China. But if you watch closely, something feels slightly off. Every few minutes, her body freezes for several seconds while her mouth keeps moving. These subtle glitches reveal her true nature: she isn’t human. She’s a virtual sales agent, powered by artificial intelligence.
A small label in the corner of the stream identifies her as an “AI streamer,” though it’s often obscured by live comments. Developed by Shanghai-based marketing firm PLTFRM, this avatar is one of roughly thirty such digital representatives deployed across major Chinese online marketplaces including Alibaba’s Taobao and Pinduoduo. These AI hosts are engineered using video generation models from Baidu and language models from DeepSeek, enabling them to craft sales pitches, greet viewers, and even respond to questions in real time.
According to Alexandre Ouairy, cofounder of PLTFRM, these virtual sellers are not just novelties, they’re top performers. Brother reported that its AI sales avatar moved $2,500 worth of printers within just two hours of going live. Since adopting the technology, the company has seen a 30 percent increase in livestream sales. “Every morning, we check the data to see how much our AI host sold while we were asleep,” a company representative noted. “It’s now part of our daily routine.”
The rise of such efficient and persistent digital salespeople inevitably sparks concerns about the future of human livestreamers and affiliate marketers, especially on video-centric platforms like Douyin, China’s equivalent of TikTok. So far, Douyin has been hesitant to permit AI-generated sales avatars, unlike more transaction-focused platforms. But the trend is clearly gaining momentum.
In the United States, AI influencers and synthetic media are already capturing massive audiences. Deepfaked advertisements and AI-generated promotional content regularly surface on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, hinting at a near future where social feeds are saturated with always-on virtual sellers. The underlying technology has advanced rapidly in recent years, becoming more sophisticated, affordable, and accessible. What began as an experimental marketing tactic is evolving into a mainstream retail strategy, one that may soon redefine how products are pitched and purchased online.
(Source: Wired)