KDDI and AVITA Develop Physical AI Humanoids for Customer Service

KDDI and AVITA have announced a strategic partnership to develop and deploy humanoid robots enhanced by physical artificial intelligence (AI) in frontline customer service environments. The initiative aims to combine advanced digital capabilities with human-like physical interaction, addressing the growing demand for responsive and empathetic service as businesses contend with shrinking labour pools.

Unlike traditional industrial robots, which are typically limited to repetitive, single-function tasks, the new humanoids are engineered to manage complex, unpredictable situations such as equipment failures or nuanced customer needs. To achieve this, AVITA’s expertise in digital avatar creation is combined with KDDI’s robust communications infrastructure. This enables the humanoids to process visual and motion data in real time, supporting synchronised nodding, natural eye contact, and realistic facial expressions—key aspects of effective non-verbal communication in customer-facing roles.

Operating these humanoids in commercial spaces requires a reliable, high-capacity, and low-latency network. KDDI provides the necessary cloud connectivity and remote control infrastructure, allowing for real-time visual data transmission and intensive computational workloads. This visual and motion data is also used to continually refine the AI’s behaviour through machine learning, improving the system’s autonomy and precision in interactions.

To support the AI’s processing requirements, the companies will use graphics processing units (GPUs) at the Osaka Sakai Data Center, which began operations in January 2026. They are also exploring options for integrating on-premise services based on Google’s Gemini generative AI models, aiming to ensure both data security and advanced conversational capabilities.

The design of the humanoid, inspired by a concept from Hiroshi Ishiguro, features a compact skeletal structure that aligns with typical Japanese body proportions. The robot is equipped with silicone skin and intricate mechanical systems, allowing for warm, approachable facial expressions that directly mirror spoken dialogue. Embedded camera sensors track movement for realistic eye contact, while quiet pneumatic actuators provide fluid motion and subtle micro-expressions, enabling the humanoid to offer reassurance and hospitality—key traits often difficult for machines to replicate.

This new deployment builds on previous collaborations between KDDI and AVITA, including a remote customer service platform using digital avatars in retail locations such as Lawson and au Style shops. Transitioning from remote digital avatars to physically present humanoids capable of free movement is seen as a logical evolution for enterprises seeking to scale customer engagement.

Pilot deployments in actual commercial environments are scheduled to begin in autumn 2026, with organisations such as au Style shops among the initial test sites. The move to physical AI requires infrastructural readiness to manage high volumes of visual and motion data continuously, along with robust governance frameworks to safeguard customer data and privacy in these new interactive spaces.

As demographic trends continue to pressure available workforces, organisations are encouraged to identify pain points where empathetic, non-verbal engagement remains critical. Investing in high-speed infrastructure and piloting digital avatar programmes now could ease later adoption of more advanced humanoid systems as the underlying technology matures.

Reference: artificialintelligence-news.com