In China, virtual employees are actively used in the service and entertainment industries. According to Baidu, a developer of VR characters, demand for them has doubled in 2022, writes cnbc.com. The same Baidu reports that the prices for the services of virtual people vary from $2,800 to $14,300 per year.

A virtual person works on the basis of AI and machine learning algorithms, so it can be programmed to perform not only routine work, but also more creative work. Basically, they are animated, but there are also holographic ones. Their main task is to entertain customers. For example, pop music performers often resort to their services, supplementing their shows with VR effects. On television, there are digital announcers who are visual copies of real presenters. Well, of course, they are widely used in the gaming industry.

According to cnbc.com, even financial services companies, local tourism boards (as guides) and state media have VR workers. According to Li Shiyan, a VR developer at Baidu, with the improvement in technology for creating digital twins of people, costs have decreased by about 80% compared to last year. Now, the services of a digital employee during the year cost employers 100,000 yuan per year ($14,300) per year for a three-dimensional virtual person and 20,000 yuan ($2,800 per year) for a two-dimensional one. Li predicts that by 2025, the virtual people industry will grow by 50% annually.