Recently, on some short-video platforms, users have occasionally come across this “chilling” scene: the camera pans across a room filled with dozens of computers, with streamers on the screens selling products in real time—yet the caption boldly reads: “It’s terrifying—a 200-square-meter live-streaming studio is completely empty, with only AI avatars hosting the streams.” However, when the camera zooms in on the computer screens and you look closely, these hosts appear as lifelike as real people.
Since ChatGPT burst onto the scene, it has reignited public interest and heated discussion about artificial intelligence. Many industries have accelerated their “intelligent” initiatives, and in the live-streaming e-commerce sector, these “AI digital hosts” have emerged. Reporters have observed that in some companies in Jinan, AI digital hosts have already begun replacing real people in live-streaming studios.
Who will AI “steal” the job from this time? Some enterprises in Jinan are using “AI digital hosts” to replace real people in live-streaming studios.
Virtual Hosts Hitting the Airwaves in Droves
“We’ve been testing digital host live-streaming for three days. It’s been very stable, with no system issues or platform violations.” ” Chen Lei, General Manager of Maimang New Media, has been deeply involved in the self-media sector for over a decade. When “AI digital hosts” emerged, he quickly recognized this new trend.
Chen Lei explained that “digital humans” is not a new term; previous virtual idols like Luo Tianyi and Liu Yexi were once hugely popular, but they differ from the digital hosts currently in vogue.
AI digital hosts, also known as “2D hyper-realistic digital hosts,” have appearances that closely resemble ordinary people; without careful scrutiny, they can easily be mistaken for real individuals. “Using AI technology, one can generate a virtual digital host or ‘clone’ a real person,” Chen Lei cautioned. “Compared to the former, the latter carries risks such as infringement of portrait rights.”
A few days ago, Chen Lei officially introduced “AI digital avatars” into his livestream. “Water parks are about to become a hot consumer destination. We’ve posted group-buying links in the livestream and are using ‘AI digital avatars’ to provide automated commentary.”
Chen Lei also pointed out that the current capabilities of “AI digital hosts” are still quite limited; in form, they are more like “pre-recorded broadcasts.” To put it bluntly, they serve as “voice-over doubles” for real hosts. “The impact of a single digital host is limited, so many companies now have multiple digital hosts online simultaneously.”
24-Hour Non-Stop Live Streaming
In Chen Lei’s view, the reason for choosing “AI digital hosts” is very simple: they’re cheap.
In recent years, live-streaming hosts have become standard positions at many companies. A reporter found on several recruitment platforms that in Jinan, the monthly salary for hiring a host ranges from a few thousand to tens of thousands of yuan. “And that’s just the base salary; commissions are usually added on top,” Chen Lei explained. He added that recruiting experienced, seasoned hosts is even more difficult, noting, “Labor costs for companies are extremely high.”
In contrast, the advantages of “AI digital hosts” are particularly evident. A search by this reporter revealed that the annual service fees for digital host services currently range from a few thousand yuan to tens of thousands at most, with some as low as a few hundred yuan. Moreover, they are marketed as “diligent and tireless,” capable of hosting sales 24/7, 365 days a year, without requiring social insurance contributions or housing fund payments, let alone commissions.
However, Chen Lei also admitted that, based on testing, while “AI digital hosts” can indeed solve the problem of human host labor, they place higher demands on operations. “Without someone guiding the comments section, relying solely on digital hosts actually makes it very difficult to achieve conversions.”
Therefore, Chen Lei believes that “AI digital hosts” are not a panacea and should be viewed rationally at this stage. “They cannot completely replace humans; they can only replace some ‘novice’ hosts.”
Digital Avatars Bring New Business Opportunities
Recently, the Douyin platform released the “Platform Guidelines and Industry Initiative on AI-Generated Content,” addressing widely discussed topics such as virtual avatar livestreaming, AI-assisted content generation, and whether traffic metrics support AI-generated content, while establishing corresponding regulations.
“The industry generally views this as the first ‘green light’ issued by a platform. These restrictions also imply standardization, and more platforms are expected to follow suit and clarify their positions,” Chen Lei noted, adding that “AI digital hosts” may see accelerated adoption.
To date, several major internet companies have entered the market. In late February of this year, Tencent launched “Tencent Zhiying,” an AI-powered content creation assistant designed to enable anyone to create digital avatars. As early as last year’s Baidu World Conference, the “Baidu App Digital Avatar Initiative” proposed the goal of “one digital avatar per person.” Furthermore, commerce departments in cities like Nanjing have launched digital avatar-related entrepreneurship programs to help businesses expand their online presence.