In recent years, new helpers have arrived at the North Pole. It’s AI.
Tavus, an AI startup that uses voice and facial cloning technology to create digital replicas, has launched its AI Santa experience for the second year in a row. This allows parents and children to video chat with a virtual version of Jolly Old Saint Nick.
After signing up for a free account, users will be able to interact with the AI Santa via text, phone, or video chat. Users can tell AI Santa what they want for Christmas, share their holiday plans, and find out if they’re on the naughty or nice list.
This year, the company debuted an improved version of its AI Santa, designed to be more expressive and recognize emotions. Santa is now “Tavus PAL”. This is the company name for real-time AI agents built to look, listen, react, and see like humans.
AI Santa can now see and react to the user’s facial expressions and gestures. It also remembers your conversations and interests to create a more personalized experience. In particular, you can now perform unique actions, such as searching the web for current ideas and performing everyday tasks like drafting emails.
During testing, the conversations with the AI Santa were engaging for the most part. When we mentioned that we wanted a new PlayStation for Christmas, Santa continued to ask questions about our favorite video games and demonstrated knowledge of certain titles, such as Baldur’s Gate 3. When we did that, Santa smiled back. (We didn’t really like that part, but maybe others will too.)
Users appear to be enjoying the improved experience so far. Founder and CEO Hassan Raza said many people use the platform frequently, spending hours chatting with the AI Santa, often reaching their daily limit.
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“AI Santa had millions of hits last year and is on track to significantly exceed that as we get closer to Christmas,” he said.
While this level of engagement is a milestone for Tevas, it also raises questions about the impact of such interactions, especially for young children. Children may have a hard time distinguishing between AI and real humans. Spending hours talking to AI has already been reported to have negative effects on adults, and some parents are concerned about the potential impact on children who strongly believe in Santa.
During our testing, there were subtle signs that the AI Santa still looked fully human, like long silences and a flat voice. We also found that when the user asks if it’s real, the programmed response is: “I am an AI Santa powered by the magic and technology of Tavus. I may not be a physical Santa, but I have spirit and spirit.”
Still, the experience comes amid growing concerns about the impact of AI on younger users. There are also reports that chatbot interactions have been linked to serious harm, including a case where chatbots were involved in a teenager’s suicide. Character.AI removed access to its chatbot for users under 18 in October.
Raza stressed that the AI Santa experience is designed for families to enjoy together, with safety measures in place to ensure appropriate interaction. Safety features such as content filters have been implemented to maintain family-friendly discussions.
In certain situations, the conversation may end and the user will be directed to mental health resources if necessary.
“The majority of the interactions are family-oriented and true to the Santa experience,” he said.
Additionally, when asked about data collection, Raza said the company collects “logs, session timestamps, metadata, and other information you choose to share during chats. This data is used to provide and maintain a secure experience, and you can request that your data be deleted at any time.”
