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Chinese tech company Baidu and veteran influencer Luo Yonghao have revealed that AI-generated avatars can outperform their human counterparts when it comes to selling products online
Luo, one of China’s most well-known livestreamers, recently hosted a six-hour session with his co-host Xiao Mu using digital avatars on Baidu’s e-commerce platform, Youxuan.
According to NBC, the stream pulled in sales totalling 55 million yuan (around RM32.8 million).
In comparison, a previous livestream by Luo the month before, without the avatars, saw significantly lower sales.
It was Luo’s first time using AI avatars to promote goods in real time
“The digital human effect has scared me… I’m a bit dazed,” he told his 1.7 million followers on Weibo.
The avatars were built using Baidu’s generative AI model, trained on five years of livestream footage to mimic the duo’s speech and style.
“This is a DeepSeek moment for China’s entire livestreaming and digital human industry,” said Wu Jialu, head of research at Luo’s company Be Friends Holding.
The technology offers clear commercial advantages.
AI avatars don’t need rest, don’t require studio teams, and can run multiple streams at once
Baidu’s offering appears to be the most advanced so far, following years of experimentation with digital hosts.
Livestream shopping exploded during the pandemic and continues to be a key retail channel in China.
Platforms like Douyin, JD.com, and Alibaba have all leaned into it but AI avatars may be the next leap.
Still, challenges remain. Wu noted compliance is now the biggest hurdle, as virtual humans must follow platform and advertising rules.
But with fast progress, Baidu’s AI sellers may soon become a fixture not just in China, but globally.
