AppDirect acquired Soul Machines, a maker of interactive AI avatars. It plans to add the technology to Devs.ai so businesses can build conversational customer and employee experiences. The acquisition was reported separately by two outlets; the price was not disclosed. The integration has not been announced as a product available to customers yet. The deal gives AppDirect a planned new interface for its business AI applications.
Artificial Intelligence··Evening
Soul Machines joins AppDirect
AppDirect's acquisition of interactive AI avatar developer Soul Machines was reported. Superpower Daily and THE D*AI*LY BRIEF independently covered the deal. Soul Machines' digital characters can respond in voice and visual interactions. AppDirect wants companies to use them in applications for customers and employees. The companies did not disclose the purchase price or financial terms. The acquisition has happened; an integration available to every AppDirect customer has not been announced.[1], [2]
Avatars are planned for customer and employee apps
AppDirect plans to add the avatar technology to business applications built with Devs.ai. It names customer support, employee training, help desks and online purchase assistance as possible uses. The intended interface would let a person interact with a character through text, voice or video. Soul Machines describes characters that see, hear and respond in real time; those are company product claims. Superpower Daily notes that the integration is not yet available to customers. The announcement does not independently establish that an avatar understands emotions or improves trust. Businesses still need to see how the planned interface fits actual support work.[1]
Devs.ai integration is still ahead
AppDirect also plans to put the avatars into Devs.ai, a tool for building applications and agents. It says Soul Machines customers may gain access to AppDirect's broader distribution platform. The companies have not given a completion date or usage results for that integration. AppDirect's stated aim is more interactive AI experiences, but a sales increase or better support outcome has not been measured here. The present development is Soul Machines joining AppDirect and the product direction the buyer has announced.[1]
