This week on The AI Report, Liam Lawson is joined by Quinn Favret, co-founder and COO of Tavus, to explore how digital humans are reshaping communication across industries.

Quinn shares how Tavus is building AI agents that can engage in real-time, emotionally intelligent conversations—complete with facial expressions, dynamic tone, and personalized responses. The goal isn’t just automation. Its presence. And Quinn believes AI might actually help humans connect more deeply, not less.

They dig into how Tavus trains its models, where conversational AI is already creating real impact, and what it takes to design an experience that feels human, without trying to be one.

Also in this episode:

• Why the uncanny valley is a storytelling challenge

• What it means to create “brand as soul”

• How Tavus enables sales, HR, education, and therapy

• Why cultural nuance and context matter more than realism

• The role of AI in making communication more accessible

This is a forward-looking episode for anyone building or using AI to solve problems that rely on trust, attention, and human connection.

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Chapters:

(00:00) Intro and Quinn’s Background

(01:03) Engineering, Startups, and YC

(03:20) From ML Forecasting to AI Video

(05:08) How Tavus Got Started

(06:21) Launching During COVID

(07:28) What Tavus Actually Does Today

(09:05) Real Use Cases in Sales, Healthcare, and Media

(11:35) Developer Tools and Agentic Systems

(12:31) Building Machines That Adjust to Us

(14:39) What Makes a Conversation Feel Real

(16:46) Cultural and Contextual Communication

(17:52) How AI Understands People Over Time

(20:45) Could AI Be Better at Talking Than We Are?

(23:03) Why AI Therapy Isn’t as Crazy as It Sounds

(24:40) The Art of Listening and Speaking

(28:33) How Quinn Practices Communication in Life and Work

(30:41) The Meaning Behind the Tavus Brand

(33:29) Tech, Storytelling, and Soul

(35:27) UX Gaps and Human Expectations

(36:43) Tavus in Context: Not Just Avatars

(38:23) What an AI-Powered Future Might Look Like

(40:04) Balancing Tech and Humanity

(41:19) Quinn’s “Why”

(44:54) Where to Connect