Are Live Digital Avatars the Next Major Upgrade to Online Platforms?

Over the last few years, online chatbots have started to sweep across online platforms. There are various use cases for them, with improving customer service being up there with the top reasons companies opt for chatbots.
There are loads of advantages to chatbots, but there’s a chance that these could just be a stepping stone to something even better. Thanks to the rise of AI, there’s now the potential for websites to offer digital hosts. These could end up being superior to chatbots and could help businesses in a wide range of industries.
Chatbots Could Have Been a Stepping Stone to Digital Hosts
Chatbots have been around for a while, but AI has made them much more effective in recent years. Many people who visit websites will use a chatbot, and they are useful for everything from product enquiries to helping complete purchases.
Even though there’s no doubt that chatbots are useful, they don’t quite offer the connection that many people crave. Indeed, studies show that most chatbot users are aware that they’re simply conversing with an AI agent. Digital hosts could act as an upgrade to this, with AI avatars appearing on screen and talking to customers like a real human would. This would provide more of a social feeling and could help to strengthen connections between customers and the businesses they interact with.
Where Could Digital Hosts Have the Greatest Effect?
Chatbots are highly useful on ecommerce sites, but they aren’t needed as much in the entertainment industry. When people are browsing different options to watch or play, they hardly have time to type messages into a chat window. This is where digital hosts could have the greatest impact.
A digital host could pop up in the corner of an entertainment platform and show people around the various things on offer. For example, a streaming service like Netflix could have an AI avatar that acts as an advisor, helping to recommend things to viewers rather than leaving them to browse themselves. This could help to remove the decision fatigue that has impacted these services in recent years.
Gaming sites could also benefit similarly. For example, on an online bingo site there are now so many games to choose from that people would appreciate some help selecting something. For example, there are bingo casino titles like Slingo that may need some explanation for newcomers. Digital hosts could easily provide details on games to help players with their selections.
Companies That Jump on This Now Could Get Ahead
Even though the entertainment industry seems like the most ideal place for digital hosts to take off, it’s not the only one. They could feasibly replace chatbots everywhere, with ecommerce being another sector that’s ripe for their usage.
As with most breakthroughs in technology, the companies that adopt digital hosts early could get ahead of the competition. Customers may be drawn towards these more innovative options, which take away the need for them to type into chatbot windows. There’s a strong chance that these could replace chatbots and become commonplace online in the next few years.