California-based video commerce firm Firework has unveiled an AI-generated video sales assistant.

Called Ava, for AI virtual assistant, it is powered by Firework’s proprietary fine-tuned large-language model (LLM) and rendered as a lifelike, digital human avatar.

Ava brings a face to ecommerce, helping brands transform cold ecommerce sites into connected virtual stores. Customisable and powered by adaptive intelligence, Ava serves as an always-available brand and product expert, capable of answering shoppers’ questions, offering guidance based on past purchase history, and even demoing products in real time.

Developed by Firework’s in-house experts, Ava seamlessly integrates AI video technology with retailer web sites, and caters to consumer demand for a seamless interface with prompt, customisable assistance. Consumers who miss the personal touch and guidance of in-store shopping, can enjoy the convenience of online browsing with the benefits of speaking to a digital human that can inform, recommend and guide their purchases.

“With Ava, we are offering brands a truly transformative advantage in the marketplace,” said Firework president Jerry Luk. “By seamlessly integrating our advanced AI technology with their own web sites, brands can fundamentally reshape the digital customer experience, bringing the best aspects of in-store shopping online, while doubling down on the inherent advantages of ecommerce. This combination of convenience, accessibility and personalised assistance defies traditional notions of the physical-digital divide, bringing the industry one step closer to a truly integrated customer experience.”

In developing Ava, Firework adopted a strategic approach to AI-generated content (AIGC) development, which focuses on the confluence of retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and model fine-tuning. The result is an intelligent digital human that is suited to meet brands’ and consumers’ growing demand for digital video content that is engaging and personalised.

It is this approach that allows Ava to grow and adapt over time, learning from various inputs and information, including customer questions and feedback, engagement outcomes, and sales data. Ava can also draw on live data such as promotions, reviews, videos and FAQs to deliver accurate, informed responses in real time. Not only do these capabilities improve Ava’s performance and drive conversions, but they also give brands visibility into the questions, concerns and needs of their customers.

“Ava is not just an advancement in AI technology; it’s a visionary step towards personalised digital commerce,” said Firework CEO Vincent Yang. “With Ava, we are redefining customer engagement by providing a 24/7 virtual sales assistant that understands the unique needs of each brand and consumer. This level of personalisation and real-time interaction is the cornerstone of our commitment to bring the human touch to ecommerce, ensuring that every customer’s experience is not only seamless but also genuinely connected and informed.”

Chris Rupp, chief customer officer at the Victoria’s Secret (www.victoriassecret.com) retail chain, added: “In a dynamic retail landscape centred on personalised digital interactions, customers crave new ways to connect with their favourite brands online. Emerging technologies such as Firework’s Ava are poised to offer a uniquely approachable digital shopping experience, mirroring the welcoming touch of being in a physical store, reimagined for the online consumer.”

In addition to being independently adaptive, Ava (firework.com/solutions/ava) will continue to be trained and refined at the model level. Firework’s ongoing AI innovation efforts have also benefited from its collaboration with Google Cloud, which has brought together Google’s retail innovation team and Firework to accelerate testing, prototyping and go-to-market initiatives using Google Cloud’s Vertex AI (cloud.google.com/vertex-ai) platform for the development and training of AI and machine-learning models.

“With Ava, Firework is showing that AI has the ability to humanise and personalise the online shopping experience in ways most never thought possible.” said Chris Colyer, head of retail industry partnerships at Google Cloud. “We’re excited to see how our partners such as Firework are utilising Google Cloud’s AI to build impactful tools, and bring tangible value to retailers, empowering them to forge deeper connections with their customers.”