Cornerstone OnDemand unveiled on Wednesday an innovative generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool dedicated to building interactive avatars.

Announced at the UNLEASH World 2024 this week, the firm’s Immerse Companion leverages proprietary AI technologies to empower professionals with intelligent avatars for training, role-playing, coaching, mentoring, and upskilling.

Talespin, a major AI avatar developer, created the technologies behind the solution from 2019 up to its acquisition by Cornerstone this year.

Cornerstone Technologies in Avatar-Based Training

The on-demand training solution will allow employees to practise negotiation skills, receive career guidance, and other talents using versatile, bespoke digital humans. The new AI-powered virtual assets will become instrumental in building confidence across a host of scenarios.

For example, end users can employ the technologies for bespoke, personalised conversations with virtual coaches, experts, and mentoring, anytime and anywhere, along with on-demand metrics and insights.

Users can also call on avatars for reenacting workplace situations for learning vital competencies safely, effectively, and at their convenience.

Cornerstone Companion also remains the engine for the toolkit with its innovative GenAI technologies. These include the following:

• Over 40 terabytes of labour market data with daily updates
• 30m learning hours each month
• 140m users spanning 7,000 customers

Furthermore, users can access the avatars across multiple platforms, including VR headsets, web-based streaming, browsers, and more.

Himanshu Palsule, Chief Executive, Cornerstone, said that Immerse Companion allowed unprecedented upscaling of 1:1 personal training.

He explained further,

“This innovation isn’t just about democratising information, mentorship and practice — it’s a major indication of the next age of the human experience where our recent research shows that demand and mastery of human skills is even more essential in the age of AI.

For the exec, Immerse Companion provided “unmatched” interactions using virtual companions, in line with the company’s Galaxy vision.

Josh Bersin, Global Industry Analyst and CEO, The Josh Bersin Company, added,

“One of the best ways to learn is through experience. Exciting new platforms like Immerse Companion let employees learn, practice, and get expert feedback from AI, just like a real expert coach. This is where corporate training is going.”

According to the Santa Monica, California-based company, Immerse Companion will exit closed beta and increase availability as part of its UNLEASH family of products.

The Rise of the Avatar-powered Workforce

The news comes after an expert from XRSI Europe explained that the European Commission defined the Metaverse as the next stage of the internet, complete with spatial computing, physical and digital spaces, and AI-backed avatars for interacting with individuals.

Luis Bravo Martins, ,VP, XRSI Europe said at a recent GatherVerse event that the Commission’s Digital Europe Programme aimed to boost skill-building capacities across the Continent to prepare skilled workers for a nearly €800bn metaverse market by 2030.

He said at the time,

“Virtual worlds are set to transform the business and employment market, and for this reason, the European Commission already already created its own strategy for the virtual worlds in this technological transition.”

Furthermore, Meta, arguably the largest metaverse company in the world, announced significant investments in research and development (R&D), capital, and training in building AI-based avatar technologies.

Many of the Menlo Park-based firm’s avatar tools include both simplistic creations for online socialising as well as photorealistic avatars for more advance communication tools. It will also incorporate its AI Studio upgrades into its technology stack for introducing virtual representations of key personalities, including superstars, athletes, and others.

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