In the last year, we’ve seen research that shows that online relationships can be as meaningful as those formed in real life. Yet our relationships with voice assistants and chatbots remain transactional, limited to answering questions or facilitating product returns. What if you could use AI to make connections in virtual worlds as interactive and social as connections in real life? What if an AI character could help you forge relationships with customers and unlock deeper user engagement? In this talk, we will explore the evolution of chatbots and advanced in AI have now made it possible to mimic the deeply social nature of human interaction.