What Is an AI Avatar?

Ever wished you could create videos without having to film yourself in front of the camera or tediously record voiceovers? 

Well, with AI avatars, you absolutely can.

An AI avatar is a digital human that replicates human movements, expressions, and speech patterns to create realistic virtual interactions. 

In other words, AI avatars allow you to create high-quality video content without ever having to pick up a camera. Plus, AI actors can speak dozens of different languages, further amplifying the reach of your content. 

In this article, we’ll dive into what AI avatars are, the benefits of using them, how to make them, and finally, how you can begin using them in your own videos. Let’s get started. 

So, what is an avatar? 

An AI avatar is a digital representation of a person, typically used in virtual environments, video games, or social media. 

Avatars can be a 2D or 3D image that gives individuals the ability to interact and communicate in digital environments, often mirroring the physical appearance and persona of a real person. 

AI avatars are one category of avatars composed of a digital representation of a person enhanced by artificial intelligence, which allows for more dynamic, responsive, and lifelike interactions in virtual environments. 

Unlike traditional digital avatars, which tend to be more animated and less human-like, AI avatars mimic human movements, gestures, facial expressions, and can even replicate a user’s voice. 

Also read: Custom Avatars: What They Are and How to Create One

How do AI avatars work?

AI avatars work by combining several different AI technologies, such as machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing to create lifelike representations of real people. 

These AI actors are typically programmed to recognize and replicate human behaviors like facial expressions, gestures, and speech, which leads to additional realism. 

For AI video generation platforms like Colossyan, AI avatars are created using videos of real people, whose likeness can be synchronized with real-time data to allow for realistic lip sync based on your inputted text. 

From there, text-to-speech technology enables you to use these AI avatars in any context with any script. 

Benefits of using AI actors in video content 

Thanks to the many benefits of using AI avatars, traditional video creation is becoming a thing of the past in the workplace. 

AI videos enhance engagement and motivation in settings like eLearning and video presentations by replacing outdated, traditional content formats with more immersive video content.

Plus, videos created using AI avatars are more cost and time efficient and scalable. Let’s take a closer look at a few of the other top benefits of an AI avatar creator. 

1. Boosts audience engagement 

AI avatars allow you to personalize your video content in ways human actors can’t. 

For one, you’re able to select an AI actor that resembles your audience’s demographics or profession. If you’re speaking to a medical audience, you can use an AI avatar that’s dressed as a doctor, without having to hire an actor and film them in the necessary costume. 

Most AI video platforms offer numerous different avatar styles, enabling users to experiment with different appearances to identify how they can engage their audience best.

And perhaps more importantly, AI avatars can speak dozens of languages. So instead of forcing your audience to read subtitles in their native language, you can translate your AI avatar’s speech into any language with the click of a button. 

Just imagine how much more engaging your content will be when your audience can consume video content in their own language hosted by a humanlike AI actor. 

2. More time and cost efficient 

Hiring actors for every piece of video content you create can be costly – not to mention the long filming and editing time required to create your finished result. 

But when you opt for AI avatars in your text-to-speech videos, you can create polished video content in a matter of minutes. Your AI avatars will read your script aloud just like an actor would, but in a fraction of the time. 

For example, AFNB GmbH was able to cut its video production time from 30 days to 1 day using Colossyan’s AI avatar video platform. By eliminating the need to manually film videos, AFNB saved 80% of its production expenses. 

3. Easier to scale video content 

Content is always changing, which can pose problems for companies that invest heavily in video content. A small process change can immediately make a video outdated, meaning companies will need to refilm their content to update it. 

But when you use AI avatars, all you need to do is change your avatar’s script and regenerate your video. It only takes seconds. The same goes for AI narrator videos.

Plus, for teams looking to scale their video content creation processes, the speed at which AI avatars allow you to create content is a game changer. You can create 10 videos in the time it might take to create one the traditional way. 

Best use cases for AI avatars in video content 

One of the best things about AI avatars? They can be used in almost any context or setting. 

That said, some use cases are better suited for AI avatars than others. Here’s a look at four top ways to add AI avatars into your workplace video content. 

Education and training 

Creating and updating training content can be a large undertaking, which makes it a great use case for AI avatar videos. 

Some AI video generators – like Colossyan – are specifically designed with workplace learning in mind. For example, Colossyan offers avatar conversations, branching scenarios, and multiple-choice quizzes – all with the goal of fostering active learning in your content. 

Customer service 

Personalization is a key component of customer service. That said, it isn’t possible to help all of your customers at the same time. 

But one of the main benefits of AI avatars is that they can be in multiple places at once. Creating a series of customer support videos featuring a recognizable, consistent AI avatar is a great way to make your support content feel more personal while mitigating team capacity issues. 

Corporate communications 

When working in corporate communications, speed is key. 

Using AI avatars to distribute messages in your corporate videos is a great way to get the word out about an announcement quickly. Simply add your script, select the right avatar for your video, and generate your content. 

AI avatars are especially useful when you need to create messages on behalf of company leadership, but you don't always have the time required to film a new video of them every time. Instead, creating an AI avatar of your CEO or other executives can help streamline the process of creating and distributing video messages quickly.

Pro tip: Colossyan offers a document-to-video feature, which allows you to turn any file into an engaging video in minutes – such as a company memo. 

Simply upload your document, choose a template, and Colossyan will add the necessary information to your video draft, complete with an AI avatar, voiceover, and images – all in less than 60 seconds. 

Check it out: 

Marketing and sales outreach 

Maybe you want to personalize your sales outreach, but don’t have the resources to manually record a voiceover tailored to every single lead. 

With AI avatars, you can create personalized marketing or sales content at scale. AI avatars can make your content feel personal, without the time investment typically required of personalized content. 

How to make an AI avatar  

Maybe you’re ready to play around with AI avatars in your video content, but using an AI avatar generator to start from scratch sounds tedious and time consuming. 

The good news is, many video platforms offer premade AI avatars, meaning you can just choose one and start creating content immediately. 

Or, if you’re looking to create a talking avatar of a company leader or brand representative, that’s also possible with a custom avatar. 

Colossyan offers three different types of AI avatars: instant avatars, custom studio avatars, and stock avatars. Instant and studio avatars allow you to create an AI avatar of yourself, whereas stock avatars are pre-made using footage of actors and are ready to use.

Here’s a closer look at each avatar option:

Instant avatars

Instant avatars are a type of custom avatar created using just your cell phone camera, without the need for professional equipment.

To create an instant avatar, you'll simply upload a 15-20 second video clip of yourself to Colossyan, and in less than a minute, you'll have an AI avatar of yourself that can be paired with any script.

Instant avatars also retain the original background of your input video, as well as your body movements, which allows you to create videos that are extra realistic and natural feeling.

Plus, your instant avatar will be multilingual, as they can be paired with any of the 600+ AI voices in Colossyan's library. Or, you can clone your voice to allow your avatar to speak 30+ languages in your own voice.

Check it out:

Custom studio avatars

If you’re looking to create a high-quality custom avatar that can be used with any background, then a studio avatar might be your best bet.

Colossyan's custom studio avatars are recorded in a green screen studio with professional equipment, requiring 10 minutes of footage and a 15-day processing time. Although they take longer to create, your avatar will be professional quality (4K max resolution).

Your studio avatar will serve as your digital twin, and it can be used in body, shoulder, or bubble views. Your AI avatar's outfit will be the same as whatever you recorded your footage in, meaning you can record your avatar in company-branded apparel.

And just like with instant avatars, you can even clone your voice for an extra level of realism:

Regardless which of Colossyan's custom avatar options you choose, rest assured that both will closely resemble your likeness for an accurate and realistic result.

Ready-to-use stock avatars 

For those looking to start using AI avatars in their videos as soon as possible, stock avatars are the way to go. 

Stock avatars are premade, meaning you just need to select the one that best suits your message or audience and you’re good to go. 

Colossyan offers over 200 stock avatars for users to choose from, including AI avatars of all different ethnicities, ages, and professions. 

And with Colossyan's new scenario avatars, users on Business and Enterprise plans have access to dozens of different AI avatars in industry-specific environments, making it easier than ever to create realistic scenario-based training content. This includes healthcare, manufacturing, office, and educational settings – with even more scenario avatar options coming soon.

These scenario avatars are all ready to use, and can be paired with any voice, script, and language.

Ensuring the ethical and safe use of AI avatars

As AI avatars become increasingly paramount, ensuring they're used safely and ethically is paramount.

Regardless of which AI avatar generator you choose, you'll want to ensure that your AI avatar app has implemented robust security measures to protect user data and prevent potential misuse. This includes examining your AI avatar creator's content moderation policy to understand how they monitor and regulate user-generated content.

For example, Colossyan's content moderation policy does not tolerate inappropriate language, deceptive content, and violent material. When it comes to custom avatar creation, Colossyan requires express consent from the person creating the avatar, and allows them to decide who can use the finished avatar. All stock avatars in Colossyan are created using the image of consenting actors who have been properly compensated.

The future of AI avatars

AI avatars are changing the AI video space and removing the barriers to entry for video production for teams around the world. But you might be wondering, what will the future of AI avatars look like?

Emerging trends and applications

The future of AI avatars holds immense promise, with trends and applications on the horizon with the potential to revolutionize various industries. One of the most significant trends is the integration of AI avatars with virtual and augmented reality, allowing for immersive and interactive experiences.

While interactive AI videos are already possible thanks to features like branching scenarios and multiple-choice quizzes, AI avatars will likely soon have real-time conversational capabilities, which will allow you to interact with an AI actor as if it's a human. This type of development will allow you to use these AI agents as academic tutor or even a customer service representative that's available 24/7.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. As AI technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more innovative applications of AI avatars in the future.

In the meantime, AI avatar quality is continuously evolving, with emotional AI avatars and more dynamic avatars becoming more commonplace.

Start using AI avatars with Colossyan 

The easiest way to get started with AI avatars is with an AI video platform like Colossyan. 

Colossyan helps workplace learning teams leverage AI avatars and text-to-speech narration to create professional-quality video content – without ever having to pick up a camera. 

By replacing human actors and filming equipment with ready-to-use AI avatars, Colossyan helps you say goodbye to the high cost and scheduling delays typical of traditional video production.

Not to mention, Colossyan offers a wide variety of different AI avatars for you to choose from, with over 200 different avatars of all different ethnicities, ages, and professions.

Don’t just take our word for it – customers like Sonesta have cut 80% of their video production costs using Colossyan. 

Ready to start using AI avatars in your videos? Try Colossyan for free today or book a demo to learn more.