Luo Yonghao, one of China’s pioneering livestreamers, has recently made headlines with a groundbreaking livestream event that utilized interactive digital avatars powered by generative artificial intelligence. The live session took place on June 15, 2025. In a remarkable achievement, it brought in 55 million yuan, or approximately $7.65 million, within a mere seven hours. This new model is a big step forward in the development of the Chinese livestreaming industry. It spotlights the incredible potential of digital human technology across the e-commerce landscape.
Luo Yonghao has entertained the Chinese public to an uncommon degree with his charismatic charm since going live-streaming on ByteDance’s Douyin platform in April 2020. Today, he counts close to 1.7 million followers on Weibo and a staggering 24.7 million followers on his “Be Friends” Douyin account. At first, his experiment with livestreaming was meant to pay off the debts amassed by his failing smartphone business, Smartisan. This new foray marks a new direction, including a new willingness to experiment with leading-edge technology to maximize viewer engagement and power sales.
On June 15, Luo and Baidu joined forces for a thrilling kickoff livestream. Baidu formed the avatar with its most advanced generative AI model. This avatar was meticulously trained using five years’ worth of video footage to replicate Luo’s unique humor and presentation style. Inside the event, Luo remembered just how incredible the technology behind this digital human was. He even confessed it left him feeling “a little dazed.”
“The digital human effect has scared me … I’m a bit dazed,” – Luo Yonghao
This imaginative creative livestreaming session is a far cry from Luo’s last effort on Baidu’s e-commerce platform Youxuan last month. That session, which was a little over four hours long, received the fewest orders for a multitude of different consumer electronics and food products. Through the use of digital avatars, Luo intends to change the way products are marketed and sold online.
Industry insiders have begun to express concern over the move, with Wu Jialu calling it a huge blow to the burgeoning livestreaming industry.
“This is a DeepSeek moment for China’s entire livestreaming and digital human industry,” – Wu Jialu
Luo Yonghao’s ambitious plans go far beyond this first success. He envisions a world in which virtual humans host events and are capable of speaking every language. This strategy will increase their reach far beyond the borders of China. Luo is still exploring how to best leverage digital avatars in the growing world of livestreaming. Through his creative yet firm hand, he is poised to shape the future of e-commerce in China and very likely around the world in profound ways.