Zoom adds features to help with declining usage

During the pandemic Zoom exploded, but in the years since it has lost some of its momentum with competitors like Team and Meet becoming more popular. To get back its momentum Zoom just announced some new features like a new AI avatar.

The new AI Avatars will be lunching for Workplace users this December and will allow users to upload or take a photo, and then have Zoom generate a lifelike avatar. Avatars mimic movements, wear professional outfits, and will appear in meetings when users aren’t camera-ready. This builds on the earlier prerecorded avatars.

To make sure that it is secure, Zoom has added live camera authentication, and makes sure others know that you are an avatar, not a real person.

For other AI features that Zoom announced include real-time translation with support for multiple languages and a new AI assistant that can handle scheduling, note-taking, and has cross-platform support.

In the future we could see Avatars and AI tools redefining how meetings work. These features are also aimed at making Zoom feel more innovative and indispensable again, and suggests a time where digital stand-ins and AI support may change how people work at home.

Would you ever let an AI avatar attend a meeting in your place? Do you like where Zoom is going? Let us know in the comments!

Images from Zoom, Vecteezy, and The Verge