By Disha Gupta
Zoom introduced a new feature that will revolutionize how individuals join online meetings. The video conferencing and collaboration company will enable users to create AI-driven, photo-realistic avatars of themselves. The avatars will resemble the user and can join meetings in their place.
The feature was announced at Zoomtopia 2025, the company’s conference at which it releases its latest innovations. For Zoom, the avatar is able to replicate the user’s real-time video feed, including gestures and facial expressions. That is to say that an individual will not need to turn on their camera if they do not wish to, and yet they will still appear at the meeting with a professional-looking avatar.
Zoom described the concept as a means to assist individuals who wish to appear polished but do not always feel “camera-ready.” The avatars should be accessible to users beginning December 2025.
Hosts of the meetings will also receive new capabilities to enhance the engagement of their meetings. AI-powered avatars and Zoom Clips can be used to create waiting rooms that show custom messages. For instance, the participants could see a virtual host presenting the agenda or providing directions prior to starting the meeting. This might be particularly helpful for large meetings or webinars where members join at various points in time.
This news follows closely after Zoom CEO Eric Yuan was speaking about the future of work and AI. He was saying that with the assistance of AI tools such as chatbots and virtual agents, individuals could potentially have to work just three to four days a week rather than the conventional five. AI can change repetitive work and make everyone’s life simpler, Yuan said, with that freed-up personal time.
Zoom also introduced an advanced version of its built-in AI assistant called AI Companion 3.0. The feature can now also take meeting notes even from meetings conducted on other platforms like Google Meet or Microsoft Teams, not only Zoom. It also has the capability to record notes in face-to-face meetings. But this feature will only be accessible for subscribers with Zoom Workplace accounts.
Another significant update is for Zoom Virtual Agent (ZVA). From January 2026, users can upload a brief voice recording. The system will generate a voice avatar that has a similar voice. This will enable companies, particularly in the healthcare sector, to develop virtual agents for various functions. For instance, clinics would use them for patient registration, appointment scheduling, insurance verification, or follow-ups after an appointment.
Zoom is also enhancing its Video Management platform. Schools and universities can now easily manage lecture recordings, training sessions, and student projects. Shortly, Zoom is going beyond mere video calls. With AI-powered avatars, more intelligent assistants, and industry-specific tools, the company is set to make online communication more flexible, more efficient, and more human-like.