AI Avatars Expected To Attend Work Meetings By Year-End, Reveals Otter CEO

In a bold projection, Sam Liang, CEO of Otter, a tech company specialising in AI, has announced that by the end of this year, artificial intelligence avatars will be capable of attending work meetings on behalf of individuals. These avatars, according to Liang, will be able to emulate the actions, speech, and problem-solving abilities of the individuals they represent. Liang, who himself attends a substantial number of meetings daily, stated that the idea for this innovation stemmed from a personal need for a more efficient solution. “A prototype can be made working later this year,” Liang shared with Business Insider, expressing confidence in the project’s progress.

The development of these AI avatars involves training them on the recorded meeting notes and voice data of specific individuals. This training allows the avatars to mimic the behaviour and conversation style of their human counterparts, enabling them to actively participate in meetings and respond to queries based on the individual’s unique perspective.

In trial runs conducted by Otter, the AI avatars reportedly answered up to 90% of questions posed to them during meetings. For the remaining 10% where they encountered difficulties, the avatars would prompt the human worker for assistance, indicating areas where they needed further training.

Liang believes that implementing these AI avatars will not only save employees time but also enhance productivity. By delegating tasks such as customer support, sales and team updates to these avatars, employees can focus on more creative and strategic aspects of their work, potentially leading to increased profitability for companies.

However, the integration of emotional intelligence into these AI avatars remains a challenge. Ensuring that the avatars can effectively engage in meetings by adjusting their tone and demeanour as required is crucial for their success.

This development marks another significant advancement in the field of AI, which is rapidly reshaping business operations worldwide. Despite its potential benefits, some individuals and organisations have raised concerns about the rapid advancement of AI. The Future of Life Institute, for instance, has called for a pause on the development of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4, citing risks associated with the uncontrollable growth of AI capabilities.