At Zoomtopia 2024, Zoom announced a series of AI features coming to its platform that the company says will transform team communication, collaboration, and productivity. Headlining the releases is AI Companion 2.0, which, among many other things, will allow you to create a digital avatar that looks and sounds just like you. Zoom's latest AI offerings will be available at no additional cost with paid services in Zoom Workplace accounts.
One of the key enhancements is the new persistent side panel that keeps AI Companion available across Zoom Workplace at all times. This AI-first interface stays present throughout apps like Zoom Meetings, Team Chat, Docs, and Calendar, allowing you to engage with both conversation and graphical elements for enhanced productivity.
Perhaps the most exciting new feature is the ability to create a personalized digital avatar. This digital twin can look and sound like you, and it pairs seamlessly with Zoom Clips to create videos—perfect for scaling content creation without the hassle of retakes. You simply provide a script, and your avatar does the talking. This feature could be invaluable for you and your organization if you're looking to streamline internal communications or create consistent video content at scale.
But AI Companion 2.0 isn't just about avatars. It's designed to be your always-on workplace ally. The tool now offers expanded context awareness, pulling information from across Zoom Workplace and, when connected, your Microsoft or Google productivity apps. This means it can provide more intelligent suggestions and responses, complete with citations to back up its insights.
Zoom is also enhancing AI Companion's capabilities with real-time web access. You can now ask it questions during meetings, even about topics outside the immediate conversation. Need to know what language is spoken in Switzerland during a call? AI Companion has you covered.
Additionally, AI Companion can synthesize information from your various interactions, including Microsoft Outlook, Gmail, Google Calendar, and other uploaded files. Whether you need a quick summary or a deep dive into your recent projects, AI Companion can pull together information to provide the insights you need, even incorporating real-time data from the web to answer your questions on the spot.
For organizations looking to tailor the AI experience, Zoom is introducing a custom add-on. Priced at $12 per user per month and slated for release in the first half of 2025, this add-on will allow companies to integrate their own data sources, customize the AI's knowledge base, and even create personalized coaching experiences for employees.
Beyond AI Companion 2.0, Zoom is enhancing Zoom Workplace to make staying on top of your tasks even easier. New features like Zoom Tasks will use AI to detect, recommend, and complete tasks based on your conversations, while Zoom Phone enhancements will include real-time summaries and personalized voicemail greetings that adapt to your schedule. Zoom is also launching AI-powered tools within Zoom Docs, offering more organized collaboration options, automated workflows, and AI-assisted content generation.