Zoom to get realistic digital avatars that can replace you in videos

SAN JOSE - Zoom's latest feature lets you create a digital avatar version of yourself that can appear in video messages so that you don't need to record footage of your real face, according to the German news agency (dpa).

These deceptively real-looking videos will initially only be available in so-called Zoom Clips, where users can record short video messages to send to colleagues, the video conferencing platform says.

Instead of recording a video yourself, you write out a piece of text and the software then gets your avatar to read it out for you, even imitating your voice and matching the movements of your avatar's voice.

Zoom has yet to elaborate on the ways in which this could be useful, but the feature is more likely to be handy in times when you have a prepared transcript that needs reading out, rather than when you want to send a quick and informal message.

Set to be introduced early next year at a price of US$12 monthly, the avatars require you to create a digital copy of yourself with a video. Zoom says there will be security measures in place to prevent misuse of the function.

One concern with such software is always that it can be used to create deepfakes, or at least deceptively real-loking fake videos.

While the avatars are so far limited to clips, Zoom boss Eric Yuan told tech news website The Verge earlier in 2024, that it might soon be possible to send your digital twin to video conferences. You would not have to take part yourself and could instead spend the day at the beach.

Zoom's business received a major boost during the coronavirus pandemic, when hundreds of millions of people suddenly had to work and learn using video chat. Zoom is now trying to tap into new sources of revenue with premium features based on AI. - BERNAMA