AppDirect buys AI avatar maker Soul Machines to give apps a human face

What's the deal? AppDirect has acquired Soul Machines, a maker of human-like AI avatars, for an undisclosed sum. The San Francisco commerce platform said the deal, announced in September 2026, will let it deploy interactive avatars across sales, advisory, support, and services.

What does each side do? AppDirect runs a cloud marketplace that bills itself as an "everything store" for business technology — from cloud apps to telecom and security — and automates billing, invoicing, and user provisioning. Soul Machines builds digital avatars that see, listen, react, and remember interactions, with lifelike voices designed to appear empathetic.

Why now? "Companies are no longer asking whether they should adopt AI; they're asking how to put it to work," said AppDirect chairman and chief executive Nicolas Desmarais. As firms move past AI experimentation, many want new ways for the technology to interface with users.

What's the endgame? AppDirect wants to give the apps on its platform a digital "human face" for customers and employees. The avatars can automate face-to-face tasks such as customer support, training, and help desks.

Soul Machines' avatars will also come to Devs.aiDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, AppDirect's enterprise vibe-coding platform that lets developers build apps and agents.

The signal: The deal reflects a shift from text-based chatbots toward richer, human-like AI interfaces as enterprises look for engagement, not just automation. By folding avatar technology into a marketplace, AppDirect is betting that how AI looks and sounds will matter as much as what it does.

Read more: siliconangle.com

Image credit: Generated with Gemini