NPCI x Gan.AI: Interactive Avatar for UPI Education

The Customer

NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India) is a leading organization in India’s retail payments and settlement systems, known for platforms like UPI (Unified Payments Interface), RuPay, and more. NPCI continuously seeks innovative ways to promote secure digital transactions and increase public awareness around financial safety.

• Industry: Financial Services

• Founded: 2008, Mumbai, India

• Website: www.npci.org.in

The Campaign

At the Kumbh Mela, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, NPCI aimed to educate pilgrims and visitors about the do’s and don’ts of using UPI safely. To make the message more engaging, they collaborated with Studio by Gan.AI to create an interactive on-ground video experience featuring a virtual avatar of Pankaj Tripathi, a popular Indian film actor.

Without shooting any new footage, Studio by Gan.AI leveraged existing outtakes and video snippets to train the avatar, enabling Pankaj Tripathi to “appear” at the Kumbh Mela through a large digital screen. Attendees were invited to test their knowledge of UPI safety by answering quiz questions, receiving immediate feedback (correct or incorrect) directly from the avatar.

Objectives

1. Drive Awareness:
   Educate the general public about common UPI scams and how to avoid them.
   
   
2. Engagement at Scale:
   Use an entertaining quiz format to hold people’s attention and deliver crucial information on UPI safety.
   
   
3. Innovation in Outreach:
   Showcase how advanced AI avatars can provide a personalized and interactive brand experience without requiring new, on-location shoots.

The Challenge

1. High Footfall Environment:
   The Kumbh Mela attracts millions of visitors. NPCI needed a scalable and engaging method to educate a large, diverse audience.
   
   
2. Zero New Footage:
   Filming with a celebrity at the Kumbh Mela would be logistically complex and expensive. NPCI needed a technology solution that could produce high-quality, on-brand video messages without additional shoots.
   
   
3. Immediate Feedback:
   The campaign included a series of 12 quiz questions, with branching correct and incorrect responses. Ensuring seamless transitions and real-time feedback was a critical requirement.

The Solution: Studio by Gan.AI

Studio by Gan.AI provided an end-to-end solution that powered the entire interactive experience:

1. AI Avatar Creation
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   • Leveraging existing footage of Pankaj Tripathi, Studio by Gan.AI generated a lifelike avatar capable of delivering multiple quiz prompts and responses in Hindi.
     
     
   • No new training footage was specially shot. Everything was derived from prior outtakes and spare clips, which drastically reduced production time and costs.
     
     
2. Interactive Quiz Flow
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   • Attendees would walk up to the kiosk, where the avatar greeted them and asked a series of 12 questions on UPI safety.
     
     
   • Users selected from two possible answers on a touchscreen or physical controller.
     
     
   • Correct answers triggered a celebratory message from the avatar, often inviting attendees to “take a selfie,” while incorrect answers led to a gentle “learning” message that reinforced the correct response.
     
     
3. Seamless Video Branching
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   • Studio by Gan.AI’s technology managed branching logic so that whichever option users picked, the avatar appeared to respond in real time.
     
     
   • All videos were stitched together smoothly, creating the illusion of a continuous conversation with Pankaj Tripathi.

Integration and Execution

• Location and Setup:
  Deployed at the Kumbh Mela in a prominent area with high footfall. A large LED screen displayed the avatar, and an interactive console allowed participants to choose their answers.
  
  
• Avatar Variations:
  Multiple pre-recorded lines (12 question prompts plus correct/incorrect responses, along with introductions and outros) were fluidly integrated.
  
  
• Speed and Scalability:
  The solution handled over 3,000 quiz initiations during the campaign, providing instant feedback without any downtime.
  
  
• Compliance and Brand Safety:
  Each video was vetted to ensure alignment with NPCI’s guidelines on secure digital transactions.

Key Results

1. High Engagement
   
   • The interactive quiz drew crowds of curious participants. Over 3,000 people initiated the experience and spent valuable time learning about UPI safety.
     
     
2. Memorable Education
   
   • Real-time feedback from the avatar helped participants retain tips such as avoiding suspicious links and never sharing UPI PINs.
     
     
3. Cost and Resource Efficiency
   
   • By using Studio by Gan.AI and existing celebrity footage, NPCI avoided on-site shoots, saving money and effort while retaining star power.
     
     
4. Scalable Model
   
   • The successful on-ground execution at the Kumbh Mela shows how interactive avatar-based campaigns can be replicated at other large-scale events.
     
     
5. Positive Brand Perception
   
   • NPCI and UPI positioned themselves as proactive and consumer-friendly brands committed to protecting users from scams and reinforcing trust in digital payments.

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