AI Avatar in plain English.

An AI avatar is a video presenter generated by software. You type or upload a script, choose a face and a voice, and the tool produces a talking-head video with matching lip movement, expressions, and increasingly gestures. Avatars come in two kinds: stock avatars, which are actors who licensed their likeness to the platform, and personal avatars, cloned from a few minutes of your own footage. Synthesia and HeyGen dominate corporate training and marketing; Argil and Captions target creators; Tavus offers avatars that hold real-time conversations. The economics are compelling for content that would otherwise need a studio: a 60-language product update can be produced in an afternoon. The limits are believability in close-up, emotional range, and audience trust, since viewers increasingly recognise avatar video. Consent is the central governance issue; leading platforms require verified permission to clone a face and refuse public figures, and several jurisdictions now require disclosure of synthetic presenters in political and commercial content.