Daimler hires Soul Machine’s lifelike Avatar to answer customer queries
Bots are evolving and increasingly it's going to get more difficult to tell bots from real people, whether they're just text bots or, in this case, life like looking avatars.
Key takeaways
- Daimler Financial Services is using a Soul Machines avatar dubbed Sarah to provide personalised assistance to customers of the company’s services, including car financing, leasing and insurance.
- Soul Machines and Daimler demonstrated Sarah at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and it’s the latest in a string of adoptions for the Auckland company’s technology.
- Just a week ago Soul Machines, which is a spinout from the University of Auckland Bioengineering Institute, announced that UK bank RBS was trialling its technology to answer customer queries.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2018) 'Daimler hires Soul Machine’s lifelike Avatar to answer customer queries', 311 Institute, 25 March. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/daimler-hires-oul-achine-lifelike-avatar-to-answer-customer-queries/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
New Zealand based company Soul Machines, the company behind a sophisticated high definition digital avatar that, to all intents and purposes could probably fool most people into thinking they were interacting with and talking with a real customer service agent, have announced they’ve signed none other than European car maker Daimler as their latest customer.
Daimler Financial Services is using a Soul Machines avatar dubbed Sarah to provide personalised assistance to customers of the company’s services, including car financing, leasing and insurance.
Soul Machines and Daimler demonstrated Sarah at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and it’s the latest in a string of adoptions for the Auckland company’s technology. Just a week ago Soul Machines, which is a spinout from the University of Auckland Bioengineering Institute, announced that UK bank RBS was trialling its technology to answer customer queries.
Take a look for yourself
Late last year Soul Machines announced they were developing digital human interface for Autodesk’s customer assistance chatbot called the Autodesk Virtual Agent, or AVA for short.
Soul Machines says all these applications are built on top of IBM Watson to “provide a customer experience that goes way beyond the traditional AI user interface of chatbots and voice assistants.”
According to Soul Machines Sarah combines artificial and emotional intelligence for “a completely new experience that redefines the link between man and machine.”
They also claim “Sarah will be able to assist customers similar to a personal concierge, with the goal of offering the right information at the right time with a convenient and emotionally intelligent, digital touchpoint,” and looking at what they’ve developed already, let alone where the technology will be in a years’ time, I’d say customer service agents everywhere should watch out…
What this means for your organisation
Avatars put a face on bots.
Soul Machines has built a high definition digital avatar that could fool many people into thinking they are talking to a real agent. Daimler Financial Services uses it, named Sarah, for car financing, leasing and insurance. Digital humans are rated Explore, with wide use expected by 2035.
The pattern is spreading across sectors.
Soul Machines has also announced a trial with the UK bank RBS and work on the Autodesk Virtual Agent. All of these are built on top of IBM Watson. Robo customer service is rated Act now, with wide use expected by 2024.
Keep a human route open.
Firms are keeping human agents alongside automation, because customers insist on access to a real person. Soul Machines says Sarah will act like a personal concierge, giving the right information at the right time. Judge any avatar on that test, and plan for the Prepare rating on human service.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Which customer queries could a lifelike avatar handle well today?
- How will customers reach a real person when the avatar cannot help?
- Which service roles change first, and how will we retrain those staff?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Bots are evolving and increasingly it's going to get more difficult to tell bots from real people, whether they're just text bots or, in this case, life like looking avatars.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
Read full bio
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity programme, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Soul Machines soulmachines.com
- University of Auckland Bioengineering Institute auckland.ac.nz
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 25 March 2018. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2018). Daimler hires Soul Machine’s lifelike Avatar to answer customer queries. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/daimler-hires-oul-achine-lifelike-avatar-to-answer-customer-queries/
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