Students and visitors to West Valley College now have more friendly faces to turn to for answers, thanks to the fall launch of our AI-powered virtual campus ambassadors — making us one of the first colleges to use such technology.
Based in a kiosk at the Campus Center, the interactive avatars of Vik and Viktoria — the college’s upbeat, approachable Viking mascots — represent the latest West Valley innovation aimed at easing the new student experience.
History major Ella Rae Peterson, a third-year student, wasn’t sure what to expect when she heard about the new campus addition. Would it look — or sound — like a robot?
Right away, she said, the nearly life-size virtual ambassador impressed her with its responses to test questions about academic programs at West Valley.
“It answered fluently and clearly with a lot of helpful information, Ella said. It was super cool to see its lifelike movements — and the voice was perfect. Viktoria acted and sounded just like I thought she would."
Using natural voice technology, our AI ambassadors speaks in eight languages, from Arabic to Korean, drawing answers from information on our website. Fun bonus feature: users can take a virtual selfie with the mascots, a feature Ella enjoyed.
"The experience was helpful and entertaining," Ella said. “I loved the picture feature where it shows you in front of the Student Services Center in a little cartoon."
Looking for a classroom? Have an enrollment question? Vik and Viktoria stand at the ready to answer FAQs, provide directions, share information about campus resources and services, and help connect visitors with the right department.
The technology, provided by Palo Alto-based LiveX.ai, is also expected to enhance customer service while reducing routine inquiries to staff.
Additional fun fact: A senior member of the LiveX.ai team, Payom Niazmandi, is a Viking alumnus. An economics major, who attended WVC from 2013 to 2015, he says he thrived at the college and credits WVC for instilling a “startup spirit in my heart."
"West Valley has always been at the forefront of innovation," said Niazmandi, head of Omnichannel AI Agents for LiveX. “Now they’re the first community college in the world to deploy a digital human that assists students in any language, at any time."
Our new Associated Students of West Valley College (ASWVC) executive board, including Student Trustee Ella Peterson, posing for the LiveX.AI avatar selfie.