The theme of Zoomtopia 2024 was “an AI-first work platform for human connection,” with the release of the custom Zoom AI Companion 2.0 for Zoom Workplace, an AI assistant that costs $12 per month that starting next year will have the ability to create custom AI avatars. Initially available for short video presentations to share with internal teams, the eventual goal is to have a “digital twin” that can participate in meetings and calls. The avatars will “save time and production costs” with segments that work with Zoom Clips for internal circulation in brief messages to colleagues.

“To create a digital avatar, you’ll need to record an initial video of yourself that Zoom’s AI will use to make an avatar that looks — and even sounds — like you,” reports The Verge, explaining that “from there, you can write the message you want your AI avatar to say and then have it do all the talking.”

The personalized avatars will be an AI Companion add-on. Those not paying the extra $12 monthly fee for the custom AI Companion but have a paid Zoom subscription will be able to deploy more generic avatar surrogates chosen from a preset collection.

For the lookalike avatars, “Zoom is taking the possibility of deepfakes into account,” The Verge writes, quoting Zoom Chief Product Officer Smita Hashim saying that “the company is ‘handling it really carefully with advanced authentication, with watermarking technology, and strict usage policies.’”

“AI Companion 2.0 promises to be a persistent presence in a Zoom Workplace window, and it will even remember previous conversations and come up with citations for statements users made,” notes Engadget, adding that “since it’s connected to the web, it can work with external apps like Gmail, Google Calendar and Microsoft Office.”

In addition, the AI Companion facilitates integration with an expanded list of third-party productivity apps, including Zendesk and Asana. It also adds extra personalization options that can be used to do things like create custom meeting summary templates, Zoom explains in a news release.

Zoom introduced its AI Companion as part of the Zoom Workplace productivity suite in August. The company says it is taking a “federated approach to AI” that allows its tech stack to dynamically select from multiple AI models, matching models to outcomes.

Related:
Zoom’s New Channel Chief Nick Tidd on His Plan to Accelerate Business Through Partners, CRN, 10/7/24
Zoom’s Future Isn’t Video, It’s AI for Work, Says CEO Eric Yuan – but Can It Challenge Microsoft and Google?, Fortune, 10/9/24
Aiming to Streamline Enterprise Productivity, ServiceNow and Zoom Expand Strategic AI Alliance, SiliconANGLE, 10/9/24