Remember a few days ago when I mentioned TikTok’s new AI avatar tool for livestream shopping—and said I couldn’t tell if it was brilliant or just another tech gimmick?
Yeah… turns out I might’ve jumped the gun a little.
Because in China? AI avatars just outsold real human influencers. Wild.
Let me catch you up real quick:
Luo Yonghao, one of China’s OG livestreaming kings, and his co-host Xiao Mu decided to clone themselves.
Not in a creepy sci-fi way — more like a “let Baidu build AI versions of us” kind of way.
They went live on Baidu’s e-commerce platform Youxuan for 6+ hours — and their digital twins pulled in a whopping 55 million yuan (about $7.65 million) in sales.
Just for context? Luo’s real self livestreamed on the same app a few weeks earlier and didn’t even come close to that.
And get this:
Their avatars weren’t just stiff mannequins.
They cracked jokes, matched their personalities, and held it down like pros — thanks to Baidu’s generative AI, which trained on five years’ worth of Luo’s videos.
They even looked, sounded, and acted like the real deal. (And didn’t need snack breaks, obviously.)
Even Luo himself was a little spooked, admitting: “The digital human effect has scared me... ”
So….why does this matter?
Because this isn’t just a cool one-off moment. It’s a whole shift in the livestreaming game — and China’s already sprinting ahead:
Livestream shopping exploded post-pandemic — and now it’s so massive that Douyin (aka TikTok’s Chinese twin) actually beat JD.com to become China’s second-largest e-commerce platform.
AI avatars are the new smart business move — they save costs, can stream 24/7, and don’t need a glam team or fancy studio.
Big tech players like Tencent are already creating digital anchors and virtual influencers, while Alibaba and JD.com are diving even deeper into livestreaming, then add TikTok to that list and you’ll see just how fast this fire is spreading.
But of course… it’s not all sunshine and sales.
Analysts warn that livestream buyers often make impulse purchases, which leads to high return rates.
And then, there are rising concerns around regulations and platform rules, especially when AI avatars don’t interact enough with real viewers.
Douyin, for one, has started putting restrictions on digital hosts that aren’t responsive or engaging.
Still... the AI train? It’s moving fast.
Wu Jialu (from Luo’s company, Be Friends Holding) says another AI stream is already on the horizon — and soon enough, these avatars could be livestreaming in multiple languages, reaching global audiences like it’s nothing.
So yeah — AI livestreamers? They’re not just a maybe anymore. They’re the main event.
And my previously skeptical self? Officially silenced. (For now.)
Here’s the full report.
