A New Zealand company has unveiled artificial intelligence technology which is set to aid around half a million disabled Australians in their day to day lives.
Soul Machines has used technology and animation which is more common in movies to create a virtual assistant avatar voiced by a Hollywood star.
The face of the technology is Nadia, an emotionally intelligent avatar, and by talking to her, users are actually talking to their computer and interacting with it like it's human.
The avatar is like a far more advanced version of iPhone's Siri, except users interact with a human face that displays emotion and is capable of responding to questions and performing computerised tasks.
The man behind the technology is Kiwi Mark Sagar, a two-time Oscar winner who formerly held one of the top jobs at Weta Workshop.
Mr Sagar says its first assignment will make a significant difference in the lives of half a million disabled people, with the Australian National Health Service to roll out the technology.
"If you have difficulty moving arms then how do you type in something on a web form? But if you can have a face to face convo with the avatar they can do it for you so you're empowered," says Mr Sagar.
The avatar has been garnering attention across the world and has even been voiced by Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett.
Soul Machines chief business officer Greg Cross believes avatars are set to become part of everyday life.
"You could be shopping on your favourite E commerce site and an avatar shopping assistant could come up and have a [conversation] with you."
And those conversations with an avatar may be happening sooner than you think a number of companies are already exploring ways to use the technology right here in New Zealand.
Newshub.
