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I created an interactive digital avatar of myself
Confirmed
In Short: Synthesia's interactive avatar technology is part of a growing trend in the digital avatar space, alongside startups like D-ID, HeyGen, and Colossyan. These companies are pushing the boundaries of AI and virtual interactions.
Synthesia, a UK-based startup, has launched Roleplay Sessions, an interactive AI avatar tool for enterprise training. This new product allows employees to practice sales pitches and other scenarios with an AI avatar that responds and scores their performance.
The Roleplay Sessions feature is part of Synthesia's broader suite of products, which includes a video-creation and distribution platform with classic avatars, an agentic platform called Sessions for interactive surveys and roleplay, and an API platform for integrating Synthesia's video and voice models with other tech services.
TechCrunch reported that Synthesia's interactive avatar technology is deterministic, meaning it will only respond to pre-trained prompts. This technology was demonstrated with an interactive avatar of a Synthesia representative, trained to answer common questions about the company.
Google has also entered the interactive avatar market with the launch of Gemini 3.8 Live with Live Avatar. This feature combines real-time video generation with speech models, allowing for more engaging customer service and interactive walkthroughs.
According to Google, Live Avatar is designed to provide 'engaging customer service' and 'interactive walkthroughs' with precise lip-syncing, natural expressions, and fluid turn-taking. The technology is generally available in Gemini Enterprise as of September 24, 2026.
Google's Live Avatar can trigger tool calls and fetch data in the background without interrupting the conversation. For example, a user could ask the avatar to check them into a hotel while discussing other matters.
The interactive avatar market is expanding beyond enterprise training and customer service. For instance, Meta has unveiled a new handheld AI 'charm' device featuring its interactive assistant, Muse, which integrates with the company's real-time AI voice architecture.
Synthesia's Roleplay Sessions and Google's Live Avatar represent significant advancements in interactive AI technology, offering enterprises and consumers more engaging and personalized virtual experiences.
What this adds
Synthesia's interactive avatar technology is deterministic, meaning it will only respond to pre-trained prompts, setting it apart from more flexible AI systems.
Google's Live Avatar is designed to enhance customer service and interactive walkthroughs, providing a more engaging and personalized experience.
The interactive avatar market is rapidly expanding, with companies like Synthesia and Google leading the way in developing advanced AI technologies.
What's confirmed
- Google has announced that it is rolling out Gemini 3.8 Live with Live Avatar, a visual persona that combines real-time video generation with speech models.
What's still developing
- But Alexandru’s avatar was beyond that — this seemed to me the final boss of using AI in PR.
- Originally based in the U.K., Synthesia is a hot digital avatar startup alongside others like D-ID, HeyGen, and Colossyan.
- When I went to the new office opening and they asked me if I would like my own AI avatar, I didn’t even hesitate to say yes.
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- Opal Records was put on hiatus in 1991, having helped forge Eno's reputation as a revolutionary musician and created a collaborative space for artists hoping to redefine atmospheric popular music.
- Outside of their visual presence, Live Avatars are powered by Gemini’s advanced reasoning and asynchronous tool calling.
- If you hate talking to AI support bots, maybe you’ll change your tune after they get a Live Avatar update.
- Google says this will generate “enriching conversations for a more comprehensive experience.” Adding to that, Live Avatar can adapt its lip-syncing and expressions as it switches between languages.
- Claire Belton and Andrew Duff created the Pusheen character in 2010 as a webcomic, and the character later became widely known through social media sticker packs.
- This project puts the character into an interactive space where players arrange furniture, clean rooms, and style cozy interiors.
- Google Cloud tells customers to work with its sales representatives for provisioned throughput, customized deployment architectures, and custom-avatar allowlisting.