Recently I stumbled across a new article in The Guardian that caught my eye. The article spoke of Chen Yiru, a Taiwanese influencer with over eight million fans on Weibo, one of the biggest social media platforms in China. Yiru livestreamed to fans for 15 hours of him eating, which caused confusion to fans.

Much to the surprise of his loyal fans, the stream had a small print verifying that this was not indeed actually him.

The concept of AI avatars is fairly new, but the livestreaming industry in China has been increasingly exploring how to maximize the time, and thus the earnings, of KOLs.

But what does this mean for the future of livestreaming?

People watch livestreamers primarily to connect, but deep fakes and AI avatars unlock a new world of streaming that is murky. Will Chinese audiences still see value in taking time to watch live feeds if the host isn’t real? I suspect this is not going to be the case for most audiences, as it loses the trust and authenticity of a “real” person. However, I can envision live hosts still being desirable for back-camera trinkets and collectible streams, such as crystals and charms.

Outsourced AI streams also are dangerous for the creator industry. Much like concerns in the US during the SAG-AFTRA/WGA strike in the film and television industry regarding AI taking the jobs of creatives, live shopping has introduced a new career path that is being threatened. Weibo conducted a survey of 10,000 youth on the app and discovered that 60% expressed interest in working as livestreamers or influencers, but AI is threatening to displace them.

News 📰

Business Insider just announced their list of the nine companies bringing social commerce into the mainstream in the United States. I’m honored to share that Ghost Agency is among the list of nine.

TikTok Shop 📱

• R.I.P. to TikTok’s $2 billion dollar Creative Fund, meaning that monetization tools are now limited to the Creativity Beta Program and TikTok Shop (NBC News)

• Real Authentication partnered with TikTok Shop US to evaluate used handbags prior to their sale on TikTok Shop (Yahoo! Finance)

Twitch 👾

• Twitch has decided to get rid of the Hype Chat feature only five months after launching and instead is focusing on Cheering and Bits due to community feedback (Eurogamer)

• Twitch CEO Dan Clancy sets out on a mission to try and improve streamer relations by going on a US tour to meet with top performers as a way to ensure retention (Bloomberg)

Meta 🌐

• Meta inked a deal with Amazon to allow for in-app shopping on Instagram and Facebook to allow users to check out with Amazon for select products sold by Amazon or by independent sellers on Amazon’s storefront (TechCrunch)

YouTube 🎧

• YouTube is testing generative AI which includes an in-stream chatbot to create sub-discussions within the comment section (Social Media Today)

Predictions 🔮

Imagine watching the American Music Awards or Met Gala and being able to point and click to buy anything worn by those on the screen. This is in the works.

Shoppable TV ads are becoming the NBT with brands like Walmart, Amazon, and Home Depot leading the charge. Please take a look at the below section, Best in Class, to learn about how Walmart is powering this using AI.

Within the next two years, I anticipate Amazon and Walmart inking formal deals with major networks to purchase products from shows without requiring QR codes, but rather an in-app, seamless experience.

Best in Class 🏆

Walmart and NBC Universal’s Peacock have partnered on an exciting innovative effort to bring social shopping to the big screens. (AdAge)

AI powered by KERV Interactive will scan through Below Deck Mediterranean to find and display Walmart products that are similar to the kind shown in the show. The products displayed can then be purchased by scanning a QR code on the screen.

About Me

Hi, I’m Nicole! I’m a Gen Z social commerce entrepreneur and TikTok creator. I’m the Co-CEO of Ghost Agency, a social commerce company that supports brands and influencers with content and livestreams. Ghost Agency is one of the first TikTok Shop Partner agencies and we’ve been mentioned in The Information and Business Insider.

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