With AI being on the lips of almost every CEO, it makes some sort of poetic sense that the lips of every CEO may soon be AI. In a recent earnings call, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan, used his AI avatar to address those tuned in. The avatar replaced the usual camera footage of Yuan talking to a webcam, with a slightly surreal generated video of, well exactly that. The result is a fairly realistic looking version of Yuan matched to his voice to deliver the earnings report in his stead.
“I am proud to be among the first CEOs to use an avatar in an earnings call,” says the slightly off face of Yuan that almost looks like the eyes were stuck on. “It is just one example of how Zoom is pushing the boundaries of communication and collaboration. At the same time, we know trust and security are essential. We take AI-generated content seriously and have built in strong safeguards to prevent misuse, protect user identity, and ensure avatars are used responsibly.”
You can get a look at the video here, and Yuan shows up at just over the two-and-a-half minute mark.
TechCrunch notes Yuan isn’t the first CEO to use an AI generated avatar like this, as we’ve seen Klarna CEO also show up in avatar form to address investors. This could be the new trend in AI generated CEOs, or at least that’s what Zoom is hoping for.
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It marks the start of a roll out for Zooms new custom AI avatar feature which should start showing up in an update this week. In the case of this earings call, Yuan’s avatar was shown via Zoom Clips, the company’s asynchronous video creation tool, but it looks like the company is hoping to make it an even easier process for everyone to access.
The goal here is for users to have the ability to create a sort of digital twin to use during Zoom calls or for presentations. But after watching the CEO’s example, I’m not really sure they’re quite there yet. It still hits slightly in the uncanny valley, and really seems to ushering in a dystopian feeling workplace where no one is real. It also brings up questions of who owns these images and their mannerisms, along with what kind of power consumption is ultimately required.
Furthermore, this feels like the kind of thing that would have got me sacked from just about every office style job I’ve ever had. Using an AI to replace myself so I don’t have to show up to the meeting that should have been an email sounds exactly like something I would do, and then be reprimanded for once caught. But when a CEO does it, well, then that’s ok.
It does, however, feel like a pretty useful tool to have on those days where you just aren’t feeling up to it. Got a wicked pimple or a bad hair day going on? Fine deploy the avatar instead. But it also means it just got that little bit harder to know exactly who you’re talking to online is who they say they are. Be careful out there, and use your avatars responsibly, and not for your court cases.