When employees at agency Jack Morton want to use AI, they know precisely who to consult: Xara, a virtual character with expertise in technology and a beginner’s mind.

Xara is what Jack Morton is referring to as its “AI intern,” due to the bot’s generative AI-powered speaking capabilities and entry-level duties. And with three-dimensional animation providing Xara a visual identity—resembling something like a pink WALL-E—the agency has developed the system into an interactive cyborg.

“They’re an intern that can offer value from Day One, as opposed to taking time to get under the skin of a company,” said Damian Ferrar, senior VP and global head of the agency’s innovation practice, Jack X.

Xara is the latest example of how agencies and brands are humanizing generative AI in order to ingratiate the technology with clients, employees and consumers. These experiments, which have also been conducted by design agency Codeword and Qatar Airways, have emerged as generative tools become more human-like in their abilities, allowing for more room to bring emotionality into the picture. In this regard, AI interns resemble an expansion of agencies’ previous methods of humanizing interactive technology, such as naming software and affording it voice.

While AI is now more intelligent, it is also more daunting to use, given how easily mistakes can be made and legal questions can be encountered. Companies are responding to this growing complexity by focusing on how to make AI tools more approachable to users, both inside and outside their organizations.

More: How brands can avoid the biggest AI marketing mistakes

Internally, Jack Morton is bringing Xara into meetings with creative directors, who consult the bot on mainly “what if”-type questions, such as, “What would it look like if we added a new dimension to this idea?” These interactions are meant to facilitate an AI experience that is more engaging than typing a sentence into ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot or Midjourney, said Ferrar. 

Typifying this approach is a physical interface that Jack Morton has installed in its London office, resembling a desk where Xara sits and a screen depicting the virtual character. Employees can converse directly with the bot via the interface. Jack Morton has also brought Xara into bigger meetings and get-togethers as a way to increase its internal exposure.

Externally, Xara has presented parts of pitch decks to clients as a way to establish a more personal relationship—and demonstrate to partners that the agency is serious about AI.

“It gives clients confidence that we’re working in this space and know what we’re talking about,” Ferrar said.

Xara will also assume the role of virtual influencer, a space that other bots are dipping into. The bot will engage people on social media by sharing news and thought leadership about AI and other technology topics, and showcasing the agency’s projects and innovations. As of now, these posts will hinge on pre-recorded animations of Xara, but Ferrar expects them to become more captivating over time.

“Xara gives you a better idea of the interactivity that is possible [through AI],” he said.

Making AI less scary

Design agency Codeword made headlines last year when it announced the hiring of two AI-powered interns, Aiko and Aiden. Each was treated like their human counterparts, entrusted with specific duties, subjected to monthly performance reports and rewarded with a part-time salary (which was ultimately donated to a non-profit).

The idea may have been, in part, a marketing stunt, but it held a deeper purpose to familiarize employees with generative AI tools and encourage their use, said Kyle Monson, founding partner at Codeword. 

Aiko, who “interned” for the production team, was essentially a symbolic face representing text-to-image models, such as Midjourney. When employees considered using such technology, they would refer to it as “Aiko” in a statement along the lines of: “Maybe Aiko could help out on this task.” Aiden, who interned with the editorial team, lent a human face to text-to-text tools, primarily ChatGPT.

By humanizing these AI tools—which had just been released at the time of the internship—Codeword was able to simplify their use cases for employees, said Monson. The human identities behind the tools, as well as their humorous treatment as real co-workers, offered a friendlier and more approachable path towards collaboration.

At the same time, the embodiment of Aiden and Aiko as interns softened employees’ negative preconceptions toward AI, Monson said. AI poses significant risk to the advertising industry, with 30,000 agency jobs projected to be lost to automation by 2030, according to Forrester. Through the intern experiment, Codeword personnel no longer saw the technology as a threat, but more so as a tool designed to help, Monson said.

Also: Why ChatGPT still can’t write a Super Bowl commercial

The AI space has rapidly developed since Codeword initiated its experiment, and more tech providers, such as Meta and Google, are taking the approach of infusing familiar enterprise tools with generative AI. According to Monson, this trend could change how marketers view and use the technology.

“[AI is] going to be more like a helpful workplace assistant that’s always there for us, and less like a ‘coworker,’” he said.

Next iteration of virtual influencers?

A parallel can be drawn between AI interns and virtual influencers—those tastemakers of the metaverse accruing massive followings on social media.

Just as a music label can drive engagement by putting an artificial human face to a newly released song, a marketing agency can positively influence the reception of an AI tool by giving it a name and identity, said Monson.

And AI-powered employees need not be exclusively focused on internal operations. “Lu,” an avatar created in 2003 by Brazilian retailer Magazine Luíza (“Magalu,” for short), initially assisted in the brand’s e-commerce initiatives and has since become a full-fledged virtual influencer, with millions of followers and appearances in local ads, TV shows and music videos. Magalu could not be reached for this story.

“At a core level, ‘Lu’ represented existing AI-powered technologies like data analysis and chatbot capabilities, with the intention of enhancing consumer experience,” said Chris Jacks, director of growth strategy at marketing agency HireInfluence, which did not work on Lu. 

This month, Qatar Airways rolled out Sama, a digital flight attendant whose ability to converse with and help customers is driven by generative AI. Sama comes with a detailed backstory—including a childhood in Doha, Qatar, and training as a flight attendant—meant to ingratiate the bot with users. 

“The value lies in designing something that is emotion-based and not simply logic or information-based,” said Danny Tomsett, founder and chief executive of UneeQ, a software company that developed Sama for Qatar Airways.

Tomsett sees a human touch benefitting not only consumers, but also marketers looking for personalized experiences. Humanized machines, he said, can help disseminate internal information and roleplay new messaging and material in a way that feels meaningful to those interacting with it.

While virtual influencers, and internal work assistants, have been around for years, generative AI is giving the technology a boost in both speed and volume of output.

“This is text, visual components, voice and music all [working] simultaneously, depending on which models are being leveraged,” Tomsett said.