# Tavus AI avatar Griffin fools 48% of users in short video call

> In a test, nearly half of participants thought the new AI video avatar was a real person, far above earlier systems.

Oossa · 2026-10-01 · https://oossa.com/en/tavus-ai-avatar-griffin-fools-48-of-users-in-short-video-call

San Francisco startup Tavus unveiled Griffin, which it calls a Human Interaction Model – an AI that can see, hear, speak and move like a person during a live video call. In a one‑minute test, 48 % of people said Griffin felt like a real human. Earlier AI video avatars rarely passed the human check, with rates around 2 %.

## How Griffin was measured

The company ran an independent test with Nvidia that scored how "human" the AI seemed during a direct audio‑video conversation. Griffin earned a 3.83 rating on a 5‑point scale, while real humans scored 3.92. The previous best AI model reached only 2.80.

## Where the tech could appear

Tavus says Griffin could be used for tutoring, rehearsing tough talks, or as a camera‑based tech‑support assistant. A lighter version called Griffin‑Lite is being offered to a small group of research testers, with a fuller version planned after safety concerns are addressed.

## The facts

- 48 % of test participants thought Griffin was a real person after a one‑minute video call.
- Previous AI video avatars achieved about a 2 % human‑perception rate.
- Griffin scored 3.83 out of 5 in Nvidia’s human‑likeness test; humans scored 3.92.
- The prior best AI model scored 2.80 in the same test.
- Tavus has raised roughly $64 million since its 2020 founding.

## Why it matters

If Griffin can convincingly act like a person, everyday users could practice conversations or get help from a realistic virtual assistant without needing a human on the line. However, the technology is still in a research preview, so wide public access and safety safeguards are not yet in place.

## Sources & references

1. [Nearly half of test subjects mistook Tavus' AI video avatar for a real person on a one-minute call](https://the-decoder.com/nearly-half-of-test-subjects-mistook-tavus-ai-video-avatar-for-a-real-person-on-a-one-minute-call/) – The Decoder, 2026-10-01

Last updated: 2026-10-01