Why We’re Building Live 3D Avatars First (Not ‘Real’ Image-to-Video Avatars Yet)

Live avatars vs “real” image-to-video: the fork in the road

If you’re building in the avatar space, you’ll hit a fundamental decision:

• Do you build a live avatar that’s clearly digital but interactive and controllable?
• Or do you chase a face that looks like a real person using image-to-video realism?

Both can produce impressive demos. But they don’t produce the same kind of product. For us, the priority is shipping interactive avatar agents that work reliably inside websites and apps—not just generating convincing clips.

Why we’re not chasing “real human” avatars (yet)

Here’s our direct belief:

If your goal is to show people a real human speaking, use a real human.

A hyper-real “fake face” can look convincing in short clips, but it also creates confusion and mistrust when users can’t tell what’s real, what’s generated, and what the system is representing.

We’d rather build something people can understand and trust: an interactive avatar interface where expectations are clear.

Why live 3D avatars are the right foundation (today)

This isn’t just a philosophy choice—it’s a practical product decision.

Live 3D avatars give teams:

• Consistent behavior across flows (onboarding, support, training, demos).
• Precise control over animation, timing, gestures, and expression.
• Predictable performance you can measure, tune, and improve.
• A clean “integration surface” so your app can orchestrate the avatar as part of the user journey (events, state, analytics).

If you’re building interactive experiences, you want an avatar that behaves like a product component—not a fragile media trick.

“But aren’t realistic avatars the future?”

Yes—realistic avatars are part of the future.

We’re just careful about when and how we introduce that stage. The best rollout is gradual:

1. People get comfortable with AI that is clearly AI (live 3D avatars).
2. The tech improves (latency, controls, safety, quality).
3. Social norms mature (disclosure, consent, policy).
4. Then realism becomes a feature used thoughtfully—not the default.

That’s how you build avatar agents people can adopt without backlash or confusion.

We still push quality—without pretending

Choosing 3D doesn’t mean “cartoony” or low-effort.

We build interactive avatars to a high standard, including facial animation, lip sync, emotional response, and natural presence—while keeping the experience honest about what it is.

FAQ: live avatars, interactive avatars, avatar agents

What is a live avatar?

A live avatar is a real-time character that can respond and animate interactively—useful for onboarding, support, demos, and training.

What’s the difference between an interactive avatar and an avatar agent?

An interactive avatar is the interface (the character + presentation). An avatar agent is the behavior (logic, tools, integrations, guardrails) that drives what the avatar says and does.

Why not use image-to-video avatars today?

For product experiences, you often need control, reliability, and clear user expectations—areas where live 3D avatars are typically a better foundation.