Why a $7M AI Avatar Made Me Feel Sick?
3 Min Read
Why a $7M AI Avatar Made Me Feel Sick?
What are we really afraid of when the data proves the AI avatar performs better than us?
Sometimes I read a new headline about AI and I feel it in my body.
Not fear of technology.
Not anxiety about the market.
It’s deeper. Physical.
Like a quiet nausea that settles in the stomach.
A few weeks ago, I came across this:
“A Baidu AI avatar sold over $7.7 million worth of products in just 6 hours.”
Not a real person.
Not a celebrity.
A synthetic character. Designed. Scripted. Livestreamed.
And outperforming some of the top human influencers in the world.
And it worked.
My gut reaction?
I shrank a little.
I’m a people person.
I believe in eye contact.
In shaky voices. In the messy charisma of a real coach, or a nervous smile.
So when I read that Brother (the electronics brand) replaced its salespeople with avatars and saw a 30% increase in livestream sales,
my first reaction wasn’t “Wow.”
It was:
I felt sick.
But then came the second reaction:
I can’t ignore this.
Then I thought of my son.
Picture this:
He wakes up. Opens an app.
And the captain of his favorite team greets him by name.
Explains last night’s match.
Highlights the moments he loves.
In a tone and rhythm that feel like they were built just for him.
Later that day?
His virtual coach checks in:
“Great progress this week! Let’s work on that landing posture after your jump.”
And in the evening, His favorite sports commentator (well, the avatar version) delivers a personalized recap.
Cracks a joke. Answers his question live.
And none of it came from a human.
This isn’t science fiction.
This is next quarter.
And let’s be honest: there’s something incredibly powerful here.
Here’s what this kind of tech could unlock for the sports world, if we get it right:
- Personalized coaching 24/7, with real-time feedback and encouragement.
- Custom sports commentary, delivered in your language, in your style, fast, funny, deep, emotional.
- Legends reborn through ethical, respectful A, still inspiring, still teaching.
- Emotionally aware fan experiences, that remember your preferences, anticipate your questions, and respond in real time.
- Global, scalable engagement, one avatar, dozens of languages, unlimited reach.
- Stronger fan connections, with teams, brands, and players built on direct, adaptive interactions.
This isn’t just automation.
This is expansion.
But still… the nausea lingers.
Because in all this brilliance,
there’s a quiet discomfort.
A voice that asks:
Are we crossing a line we won’t be able to walk back from?
So I ask myself honestly:
- Will my son know the difference between something that feels personal and something that actually is?
- Are we creating real relationships or simulations of them?
- Is this tech deepening human connection or designing over it?
- Who gets to decide when it’s okay to bring back a legendary voice? And how?
- Can we even imagine going back to a world without synthetic perfection?
Maybe the real question isn’t about tech.
Maybe it’s about narrative.
I grew up in a sports world made of people.
Real players. Real commentators. Real fans.
Messy. Emotional. Alive.
There was beauty in the mistake.
Meaning in the pause.
And power in what wasn’t perfect.
And now?
Technology offers something more.
More polished. More accurate. More “me.”
So why does it feel like… less?
My answer?
Because we haven’t yet learned to design for humanity.
We’ve been trying to use AI to replace us, instead of letting it reveal the best in us.
But here’s the thing:
This future? It’s not waiting.
It’s arriving.
So the question becomes:
What do we do with this moment?
Five Real Things You Can Do, Starting Now
If you’re a senior leader reading this in a club, a brand, a league, or a tech company and you’re feeling that same tension I felt:
Here are five real, practical moves to make this future work for you, not against you:
1. Start with your own understanding not just the headlines
🛠 What to do: Block two hours in your calendar. No meetings. No consultants. Watch demos of AI in sports: avatars, personalization, live commentary tools. Ask: “Which of these could actually serve my fans today?”
Why: You can’t lead what you don’t deeply understand.
2. Run a micro-pilot not a mega project
What to do: Test one small, focused use case:
- A post game recap video using an AI avatar
- A personalized fan message after a ticket purchase
- A virtual assistant for young players
Set clear KPIs: engagement, sentiment, ROI.
Why: Small, quick experiments build smart, confident momentum.
3. Bring your creatives into the AI conversation
What to do: Host a brainstorm with your content, branding, and storytelling teams. Ask: “If we had one avatar representing our brand how would it talk? Feel? Inspire?”
Why: AI can replicate anything but only you define what’s worth replicating.
4. Build a human centered ethics checkpoint
🛠 What to do: Form a small internal advisory group even 2–3 people with empathy and perspective. Ask them to flag any activation where AI might cross a human line (privacy, emotional manipulation, authenticity).
Why: If we don’t put up guardrails someone else will, or worse, no one will.
5. Talk to your fans openly
🛠 What to do: Share what you’re experimenting with. Ask fans how they feel about AI in their experience. Let them be co-creators, not just end-users.
Why: Trust isn’t built through perfection. It’s built through participation.
This is where leadership begins.
Not in fear.
Not in hype.
But in small, brave, intentional steps.
If we choose to show up
To write the rules.
To hold the heart.
To design with care.
Then maybe…
This future can be ours.
A future where tech amplifies emotion, not erases it.
Where connection becomes deeper, not cheaper.
Where we dare to use the best of what’s artificial
To bring out the best of what’s real.
The technology is already here.
Fear is natural. But the choice
is still ours.
Want to take this further?
I can help turn this into a leadership workshop, a boardroom conversation, or even a fan co-creation session.
Let me know and let’s move from thinking to doing.
With love for Sports and Innovation
AR
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