Angelina YangFounder and Host, TwoSetAI · AI builder for visibility and discoverability

LiveKit's Tom Shapland: 'I Don't Totally Get People, But They Talk More to Avatars'

22 Jul 2026 · 0 min

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Tom Shapland, CEO of LiveKit, says people talk more and open up more to avatar-based agents than voice-only ones, even when the avatars look uncanny. He doesn't fully understand why, but the behavioral shift is clear.

People surprising creatures. You would think that it wouldn't make a difference if a person was talking to a voice agent or like a fake human, but actually they talk a lot more when they're talking to an avatar, even when the avatar doesn't look totally real. They open up more and they say more compared to talking to a voice agent. It's just like a waveform bouncing on the screen. I don't totally get people, but they seem to talk more even when the agent is uncanny.