Synthesia Launches AI Roleplay Sessions for Enterprise Training
Original: Synthesia’s AI training platform is moving beyond videos into live coaching
Why This Matters
Synthesia's pivot to live AI coaching signals a broader shift from content generation to measurable enterprise performance management.
British AI startup Synthesia launched 'Roleplay Sessions' on July 22, 2026, an interactive training product where employees practice high-stakes conversations with AI avatars that respond, push back, and score performance. The product expands Synthesia's platform beyond video content into live coaching and analytics.
Synthesia, known for AI-generated enterprise training videos, has launched 'Roleplay Sessions,' its first product under a broader 'Sessions' platform. The tool allows employees to practice scenarios such as sales pitches, performance reviews, and customer complaints with an AI avatar powered by OpenAI's reasoning technology. The avatar responds dynamically and scores participants against a defined rubric. CEO Victor Riparbelli stated: 'For most things, we learn the best by actually practicing something rather than just reading it.' The company cites learning research suggesting that traditional corporate training — including video — often fails to change actual behavior without active practice and feedback. Early customers include one of the top three companies by market cap in Europe, a top-five Fortune 100 company, and one of the world's largest recruitment firms. The most common use cases are sales training and leadership development, particularly soft skills. The Sessions platform is also planned to expand into job interviews and candidate screening. Synthesia positions this shift as a move toward performance management, offering managers granular analytics on workforce capabilities — an area Riparbelli says has historically been difficult to measure. Roleplay is currently an enterprise-only offering.