People trust 'digital twins' of CEOs way less than the real thing, even if the AI looks and sounds exactly like them.
March 25, 2026
Original Paper
The CEO Who Wasn’t There: Consumer Trust in Digital Twin Streamers
SSRN · 6462429
The Takeaway
The issue isn't that the AI looks 'uncanny' or fake, but that consumers value the perceived effort of a human appearing in person. When a firm uses a digital twin, consumers interpret the saved effort as a signal that the brand is less trustworthy.
From the abstract
With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and virtual human technologies, a growing number of firms have begun to deploy digital twin streamers in e-commerce live-streaming. These streamers are modeled on real individuals and use advanced technologies to closely replicate their appearance, voice, and communication style, creating highly realistic digital counterparts. This allows employees, even CEOs, to participate in live streaming without appearing on camera in person. While prior