Zoom has launched a brand new function which may quickly make attending Zoom conferences your self a factor of the previous. The video communication and collaboration platform will let customers create photo-realistic, AI-generated avatars of themselves to seem in on-line conferences on their behalf.
The AI avatar will be capable of observe and mimic customers’ dwell video feed. It’s one in every of a number of AI-powered updates unveiled at Zoomtopia 2025, the corporate’s annual flagship occasion showcasing its newest improvements. “For the moments that require a sophisticated presence with out being “camera-ready,” members will be capable of use a lifelike AI-generated avatar based mostly on their likeness,” the California-based firm mentioned on Wednesday, September 17.
Zoom assembly hosts can additional customise the ready room for attendees with personalised messages created utilizing Zoom Clips and that includes AI avatars. “This new function might be particularly helpful for hosts who wish to talk pre-meeting particulars like agenda context or directions forward of the assembly,” the corporate mentioned.
The AI avatar function is predicted to be rolled out in December this 12 months. It comes days after Zoom CEO Eric Yuan predicted that AI chatbots and brokers will shorten the typical working week to simply three or 4 days. “I really feel like if AI could make all of our lives higher, why do we have to work for 5 days every week? Each firm will assist three days, 4 days every week. I believe this finally frees up everybody’s time,” Yuan was quoted as saying in a latest interview.
Zoom on Wednesday additionally launched AI Companion 3.0, its upgraded AI assistant that now has the flexibility to generate notes in conferences held in-person in addition to on different platforms resembling Google Meet, Microsoft Groups, and so forth. Nonetheless, this function is just out there for paid customers with Zoom Office accounts.
AI Companion on the net. (Picture: Zoom)
When requested whether or not the corporate is anxious about third-party platforms proscribing entry to Zoom AI Companion 3.0, Smita Hashim, chief product officer at Zoom, informed The Indian Specific, “We’re definitely seeing a development the place we’re seeing some incumbents beginning to limit entry. However we aren’t seeing a broad unfold round that. I believe numerous the gamers recognise that they need prospects to have selections and we’re seeing them embrace that.”
“It’s one thing which we proceed to observe and work with our companions about. Our prospects positively don’t want the info to be restricted,” Hashim added.
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Zoom first gained widespread recognition in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, when distant work and digital conferences grew to become the norm. Since then, the corporate has seemed to grow to be greater than a video conferencing platform by launching AI-powered productiveness instruments and buyer assist merchandise for enterprises. It has sought to outline its aggressive edge within the crowded AI business by taking a federated strategy the place a number of AI fashions, together with Zoom’s personal fashions and people from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta, are dynamically chosen to offer cost-effective options.
“Our prospects’ most essential conversations occur on Zoom, and now these conversations can lead to crucial insights to gasoline actual progress. With AI Companion 3.0, our agentic AI can perceive customers’ particular context, priorities, and targets to assist them lower by way of the noise, give attention to what issues most, and drive significant enterprise outcomes,” Yuan mentioned.
AI Companion 3.0: Options and updates
In addition to note-taking capabilities, AI Companion 3.0’s agentic function will let customers retrieve info throughout Zoom Office, in addition to Google and Microsoft platforms (if enabled), to create paperwork and different property. It additionally comes with deep analysis expertise and improved writing help.
Customized AI Companion lets customers create and deploy customized AI brokers. (Picture: Zoom)
AI Companion 3.0 makes use of agentic AI to schedule conferences for customers. It has a function known as ‘release my time’ which suggests conferences that customers can skip based mostly on “the duties they should get performed in a day, and their participation and position inside the assembly.” The AI assistant additionally supplies in-meeting suggestions and pointers to arrange for upcoming conferences in order that customers know the agenda, earlier motion objects, and key insights beforehand. Zoomie Group Assistant allows simpler group collaboration throughout conferences and chats by answering questions concerning the group’s work resembling ‘What are the workforce’s motion objects?’
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The AI assistant has additionally been designed to flag potential conflicts resembling when members have booked completely different rooms for a similar assembly. These options are anticipated to grow to be out there from November this 12 months. Zoom AI Companion 3.0 may be accessed at no further value by paid customers with Zoom Office subscriptions ranging from Rs 1,376 per thirty days. “The inclusion of AI options at no further value is very useful for small enterprise homeowners and solopreneurs on our platform for whom each rupee counts,” the corporate mentioned.
Different bulletins
Zoom Office customers could have entry to a spread of latest options resembling real-time voice translation for Zoom Conferences, the flexibility to generate clips from shows, 60fps excessive body fee video high quality, and so forth. They will additionally entry apps inside Crew Chat, Zoom’s immediate messaging service, and generate collaborative paperwork immediately from Zoom assembly discussions with Zoom Whiteboard.
Agentic AI Knowledgeable Help. (Picture: Zoom)
The corporate additionally presents a Rs 1,999 subscription package deal known as Zoom Enterprise. These subscribers will be capable of entry options resembling Agentic AI Knowledgeable Help to automate assist agent duties, AI-generated buyer expertise (CX) insights, Automated High quality Administration (AQM) to supervise digital customer-agent interactions, and extra. Whereas most of those options might be rolled out this 12 months, AQM entry will grow to be out there from January 2026.
Moreover, Zoom has launched a brand new functionality in Zoom Digital Agent (ZVA) the place customers can add a brief pattern of their voice to create a customized conversational expertise. From January subsequent 12 months, Zoom will even let healthcare business stakeholders to “construct digital brokers tailor-made to scientific and administrative workflows, resembling affected person consumption, scheduling, insurance coverage verification, and post-visit follow-ups.”
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Zoom digital agent for healthcare. (Picture: Zoom)
Its Zoom Video Administration platform has been upgraded to let academic establishments handle lecture recordings, coaching, and initiatives throughout departments on a single platform.