Is AI Digital Twins Going to Revolutionize the Future of Meetings?
Artificial Intelligence
2-minute read
Many of us still recall the days of the pandemic when remote work and work-from-home arrangements sparked numerous discussions about "video conferencing fatigue," so much so that the term "Zoom Fatigue" became a common phrase, highlighting Zoom's significant impact and widespread use. During that time, there was a belief that entering the metaverse with VR avatars for "face-to-face" meetings could alleviate this fatigue. As we all know, the pandemic ended, life returned to normal, and Zoom, once a hot commodity, went through a wave of organizational restructuring, including layoffs.
In the current surge of AI, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan recently discussed not only the shift to 3D Zoom meetings with virtual avatars in the metaverse but also touched on hot tech buzzwords like AI personal assistant and digital twin technology in a conversation with tech media outlet The Verge.
Yuan envisions a future where everyone has an identical 3D version of themselves, a digital twin, enabling true remote face-to-face interaction. "We may not be in the same place. Whenever you and I have a call down the road, it’ll feel like you and I are sitting together. I shake your hand, and you feel my hand. I give you a hug, and you feel my intimacy as well," he imagines.
Interestingly, as the founder of Zoom, Yuan admits he detests meetings. "I can tell you I hate my calendar. Every morning, when I look at my calendar, oh my god, there’s so many things. Even before I start, I know today, I have maybe nine or 10 meetings. In between, I need to check emails, read messages, and make phone calls. I’m not happy when I look at that," he shares, echoing the sentiment of many who would rather spend the day in bed with their cat. However, while we dream of cuddling with our pets, he dreams of an AI personal assistant taking his place in Zoom meetings.
Nowadays, when people hear LLM, they no longer think of a "Master of Laws" degree. Yuan believes everyone should and will have their own large language model, an AI meeting assistant. "AI can understand my entire calendar, understand the context. Say you and I have a meeting — just one click, and within five seconds, AI has already scheduled a meeting." Yuan sees AI not just as a personal assistant for arranging meetings but also as a stand-in for attending them.
"In terms of real-time interaction, today, you and I are talking online. So, I can send my digital version — you can send your digital version," he suggests. He even mentions that his digital twin could represent him in decision-making processes and important conversations with the Zoom team.
Having AI attend meetings for you, argue with colleagues' AIs, and then summarize the conclusions seems like a plausible future. Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd has also indicated that soon, your AI dating concierge could date for you with someone else's dating concierge, sifting through candidates to find the right one and skipping straight to the enjoyable part of dating.
This brings to mind a recent "Doraemon Exhibition" I visited in Taipei. Initially, I didn't expect much, thinking it would be for kids or nostalgic adults like myself. However, seeing different artists' reinterpretations of Doraemon made me reconsider the genius of its creator, Fujiko F. Fujio, and wonder if the true charm of Doraemon—its "imagination" and sci-fi elements—had been overshadowed by the plethora of merchandise.
Yuan's vision is reminiscent of Fujio's "Copy Robot," which appeared in "Perman" and "Doraemon." With a red button on its nose, the robot could transform into a replica of you, including appearance, personality, abilities, and memories, and best of all, it would obey your commands, doing everything you're supposed to do but don't want to. Was Yuan also inspired by Doraemon?
