May 27, 2026
Avaya and avatarin Bring Contact Centre AI to the Shop Floor
Avaya and avatarin are extending their collaboration beyond the contact centre, linking AI agents with social robots and on-site hardware to serve customers in physical environments without losing the thread of their digital interaction history.
The collaboration connects Avaya Infinity, Avaya’s enterprise CX platform, with the AI, robotics, and real-time interaction technology developed by avatarin. Together, they are building a shared intelligence layer, a single system that keeps full customer context intact as an interaction moves across digital channels, physical robots, and human experts.
avatarin is a Tokyo-based AI and robotics startup spun out of ANA Holdings, the Japanese airline group. Founded in 2020, the company develops social robots and AI agent technology built around a concept One Intelligence — the idea that AI systems, physical devices, and human expertise should operate as a single unified layer rather than as separate, disconnected channels.
avatarin has previously partnered with companies including Sony AI and SoftBank on next-generation robotics development, and has deployed its technology in environments ranging from retail floors to local government service counters.
One System, Wherever You Are
Avaya Infinity handles enterprise-grade orchestration and workflow, while avatarin’s hardware, such as social robots, smart kiosks, and AI signage, handles on-the-ground interaction. When a customer query moves beyond what the AI can resolve, a human expert receives the full interaction history and steps in without the customer needing to repeat themselves.
For example, a customer at a home improvement store approaches an avatarin social robot looking to put together a smart home security system. The AI identifies compatible products, checks in-store inventory, and compares specifications in real time. When the customer asks whether their older electrical panel will need upgrading, and how installation warranties work, the inquiry moves from product discovery into expert territory.
At that point, Avaya Infinity routes the full conversation history to an available in-store electrical specialist and simultaneously queues a remote installation coordinator on a tablet. Both arrive briefed. The customer never repeats themselves, moving from AI-guided discovery to human expert resolution in a single, uninterrupted journey.
At the Airport Gate
A traveller facing a complex connection delay is met at the gate by an avatarin robot that already has their itinerary details and knows the specifics of the disruption. The robot provides immediate multilingual support with accurate, real-time information.
When the situation calls for human judgment and empathy, the system hands off to a remote agent who joins with full context already loaded. The traveller is rebooked without having to navigate a language barrier or start the conversation from scratch.
The Screen Is Only Half the Story
Enterprises have spent years deploying AI agents inside software workflows, largely within the contact centre. The harder problem is extending those agents into physical service environments where customers still need guidance, trust, and access to people who can handle genuinely complex issues.
According to Anthropic’s 2026 State of AI Agents Report, 55% of business leaders expect AI agents to deliver measurable returns in customer service operations this year. The most effective AI deployments in customer service use the technology to reduce customer effort rather than to remove human judgment from high-stakes moments.
Critically, the same customer context can follow a shopper across digital and physical touchpoints. A journey that begins online can continue in-store without any loss of information, something that most CX automation frameworks identify as one of the central challenges for enterprises operating across multiple channels.
Akira Fukabori, CEO of avatarin, said: “One Intelligence is our vision for transforming every customer and operational touchpoint into a new problem-solving interface. With Avaya Infinity, we can connect agentic AI, physical AI and human expertise across the enterprise. Our goal is not to replace people, but to give every company a unified intelligence layer that helps customers and employees receive the right support at the right moment, wherever they are.”
Avaya and avatarin plan to develop joint implementation models for Japan and global markets, focusing on industries where digital AI agents, physical interfaces, and human experts need to operate as one connected system, like retail, aviation, hospitality, and public services.
