The news:
- Zoom has announced that it’ll soon introduce a feature that allows users to create custom AI avatars of themselves, effectively taking its AI capabilities further.
- This new development will be part of a broader AI expansion planned for early 2025, aimed at transforming how teams communicate virtually.
- The AI avatars, once created, will be able to record and send brief video messages on behalf of users, making remote work even more flexible.
To create an avatar, users will need to record a short video of themselves, which Zoom’s AI will then analyse to produce a lifelike digital version that looks and sounds like the user.
These avatars can be programmed to deliver messages, allowing professionals to "be in two places at once," handling certain tasks while attending to other responsibilities.
However, this feature will initially be available only through Zoom’s Clips feature, designed for short updates, and not for live, full-length meetings.
Zoom’s Chief Product Officer (CPO), Smita Hashim, has reassured users that the company is addressing concerns surrounding deepfakes and misuse of avatars, including implementing advanced authentication systems, watermarking technology, and strict usage policies. This move aims to provide transparency and mitigate security risks that AI-driven avatars might introduce.
The avatars will be part of Zoom’s AI Companion add-on, available at an additional cost of $12 per month. Without the add-on, users with paid Zoom accounts can still access preset AI avatars and voices, though they won’t be able to create custom avatars.
Zoom CEO Eric Yuan has spoken enthusiastically about this new direction. In an interview earlier this year, he described the potential for AI avatars to attend meetings or manage emails while users are busy with other tasks.
This level of automation, Yuan explained, aligns with Zoom’s vision of leveraging AI to streamline workflows and increase productivity.
Additionally, the AI Companion add-on will offer more features, including integrations with productivity tools like Zendesk and Asana, and customisable meeting summary templates.
This evolution in Zoom’s AI strategy could redefine how businesses operate remotely, especially in high-demand industries where time management is critical.
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Zoom’s push towards creating digital twins may raise some eyebrows due to privacy and ethical concerns. But with strong safeguards in place, the feature could unlock new levels of efficiency for remote teams worldwide.
