The future is here. In China, some companies are now hiring ‘virtual employees’. Financial services companies, local tourism boards and state media are forking over big bucks for digital human beings – a combination of animation, sound tech and machine learning – that can perform and even interact with users. Let’s take a closer look: As per Tech Story, companies are paying between $2,800 and $14,000 per year to hire virtual workers in the fields of customer support and entertainment. The website quoted Baidu’s virtual people and robotics division chief Li Shiyan as saying that this is the future. Li...