Live Stream: Two FAKE
AI Influencers Just Sold
$7.6 M in One Day!
Live stream in China Just Perfected Digital Humans and It's Scary!
Digital AI Avatars in China Are Outperforming Human Influencers — And the Numbers Prove It!
In a groundbreaking moment for China’s digital economy, artificial intelligence avatars have demonstrated their ability to outperform human influencers in livestreaming sales.
On June 15, 2025, Chinese tech giant Baidu partnered with renowned livestreamer Luo Yonghao and his co-host Xiao Mu to host a six-hour livestream using AI-generated avatars of themselves.
The result?
Over 55 million yuan ($7.65 million USD) in sales — a figure that eclipsed Luo’s previous livestream performance when he appeared in person.
This event marks a pivotal shift in the live streaming and digital human industry, signaling that AI avatars are not just viable alternatives to human hosts — they may be superior in certain contexts.
Wu Jialu, head of research at Be Friends Holding (Luo’s company), called it “a DeepSeek moment” for the industry, referencing China’s answer to OpenAI.
DeepSeek made headlines earlier in 2025 for its claims of rivaling ChatGPT at lower costs through open-source development.
From Debt to
Digital Stardom
Luo Yonghao is no stranger to livestreaming.
He began his journey in April 2020 on ByteDance’s Douyin (China’s version of TikTok), aiming to repay debts from his struggling smartphone company, Smartisan.
His Douyin account “Be Friends” now boasts nearly 24.7 million followers. But this latest livestream was different — Luo and Xiao Mu didn’t appear physically.
Instead, their AI avatars, trained on five years of video content, mimicked their personalities, humor, and style with uncanny accuracy.
Luo admitted he was stunned by the results.
“The digital human effect has scared me ... I’m a bit dazed,” he posted to his 1.7 million followers on Weibo, China’s leading social media platform.
Why AI Avatars
Are Winning
The success of this AI-powered live stream wasn’t just a fluke.
It reflects a broader trend in China’s digital landscape, where live stream shopping has exploded in popularity.
The pandemic accelerated this shift, pushing businesses to find alternative sales channels. Live streaming became a lifeline — and a goldmine — for many.
AI avatars offer several advantages over human hosts:
- Cost Efficiency: No need for production crews, studios, or physical setups.
- 24/7 Availability: Digital humans don’t need breaks, sleep, or time off.
- Scalability: One avatar can host multiple sessions across platforms and languages.
- Consistency: AI can maintain tone, branding, and messaging with precision.
Wu Jialu noted that Baidu’s current digital human product is far superior to earlier iterations from five or six years ago. And it's getting better by the minute!
His team had long been skeptical of virtual influencers, but this recent success changed their perspective.
The Rise Of
Livestream Commerce
Live stream has become a dominant force in China’s e-commerce ecosystem.
In 2024, Douyin surpassed JD.com to become the country’s second-largest e-commerce platform, trailing only Alibaba.
The app’s integration of short-form video and live shopping has reshaped consumer behavior, encouraging impulse purchases and real-time engagement.
Amazingly, they also had a live Q&A with, hold on to your interviews, an AI avatar. An all AI generated live stream!
Other platforms, including JD.com and Alibaba’s Taobao, have also embraced live stream. Even Tencent has developed tools to create digital humans for roles like news anchors and brand ambassadors.
During the Singles Day shopping holiday in late 2023, several companies experimented with virtual human hosts — a trend that’s now gaining serious traction.
Live stream
challenges ahead
Despite the excitement, there are hurdles to overcome. One major concern is compliance.
Digital avatars must be trained to follow advertising regulations and platform-specific rules. For example, Douyin has imposed restrictions on virtual hosts, especially those that don’t interact meaningfully with viewers.
Wu emphasized that the biggest challenge is no longer technological — it’s regulatory. Platforms vary in their acceptance of digital humans, and companies must ensure their avatars meet legal and ethical standards.
Another issue is product returns.
Items sold via live streams often have high return rates due to impulsive buying. While AI avatars can drive sales, they must also build trust and authenticity to reduce buyer’s remorse.
What's next
for live stream
Luo Yonghao hasn’t announced his next virtual appearance, but Wu hinted it could be soon.
Looking ahead, the potential for AI avatars to live stream in multiple languages opens doors to global audiences.
Imagine a single avatar hosting sessions in Mandarin, English, Spanish, and Arabic — all tailored to local cultures and preferences.
This evolution could redefine influencer marketing, allowing brands to deploy virtual ambassadors across regions without the logistical challenges of hiring and training human hosts.
A new generation
for live ecommerce
The success of Baidu’s AI avatars is more than a technological milestone — it’s a cultural shift.
In a country where live stream has become a cornerstone of digital life, the ability of virtual humans to outperform real ones is both surprising and inevitable.
As AI continues to advance, we may see a future where digital influencers dominate not just in China, but globally.
The implications for marketing, entertainment, and commerce are profound.
How about me selling my books in a live stream!
Human influencers won’t disappear, but they may find themselves sharing the spotlight — or even being replaced — by their digital counterparts.
For now, China has shown the world what’s possible when AI meets e-commerce.
And it’s only the beginning.
My New Instagram
Account @Streamercial
I've always been a fan of mail-order and Infomerrcials. Still have Tony Robbin's Unlimited Power cassette tapes.
So I decide to do some infomercial of my own for the book, Built to Last by my friend, David Amerland. And one for Sabrina Romanov whch I wrote about in my stories
So I created my account on Instagram with the word, Streamercial, a play of infomercial.
Coming to a website near you ;-) !
- Pierre
The World's First Mind-Reels Coach