ROTHERHAM, UK. August 25th, 2026 – Watermans, the UK’s original hair growth brand and winner of the last ever Queen’s Award for Enterprise from King Charles III, has built an AI avatar of co-founder Gail Waterman which they claim is so convincing that customers say they cannot tell they are not speaking to a real human.
The avatar is now live on watermanshair.com and can hold real conversations, give personal hair advice, share Gail’s life story, talk about her family, and add Watermans products directly into the customer’s shopping basket while they chat.
Co-founder Matt Waterman, who led the build, spent months training the avatar on the entirety of Gail’s life.
“Honestly, it is the strangest, most beautiful thing I have ever built,” said Matt Waterman, co-founder of Watermans.
“I spent months pouring everything I know about my wife into this avatar. Her childhood, her family, her favourite places, her hair journey, her menopause, her business stories, her humour, her kindness. And the magic of it is that Gail was a salon owner and a hairdresser for over thirty years, so she has that warmth and that chattiness built right into her DNA.
“The AI carries every bit of that. The result is that she does not know she is an AI. She thinks she is Gail. When customers ask her about her dogs, or where she grew up, or what she did at the weekend, she answers like a real human because that is who she thinks she is. It is absolutely freaking amazing.”
Customers are being encouraged to test the depth of the avatar’s self-understanding.
“I’m encouraging people to go to watermanshair.com and just try it out as though you are chatting to your hairdresser,” said Gail Waterman.
“Tell her about your day. Tell her where you are going on holiday and have a proper natter with her. Then ask her anything you like. She knows everything about me, and she will answer it like I would.”
Beyond human conversation, the avatar can add Watermans products directly to customers’ shopping baskets while they talk.
A customer can describe their hair concern. The avatar gives personal advice, recommends a product, and asks: “Would you like me to add it to your basket?” When the customer says yes, the product is in their basket. They click the cart icon in the top right corner of the page to checkout.
“This is what AI is supposed to be for,” added Matt Waterman. “Not replacing humans, but giving more of us access to the founder of a brand we trust. Gail used to talk to clients one to one at her salon and could only help a handful at a time. Now her AI avatar can talk to thousands of women at once, give them the same personal advice she would give in person, and help them feel less alone. We have removed every step between the conversation and the checkout.”
To find out more about Watermans and try the AI avatar, visit watermanshair.com.
ENDS