- AI personas could attend meetings this year, Otter CEO predicts.
- Company developing custom AI meeting stand-ins that replicate employees’ speech and views.
- Tech shows promise but faces hurdles in social awareness and emotional intelligence.
Expect to see AI join your next Zoom meeting. Otter CEO Sam Liang, juggling up to 10 meetings a day, questioned if AI assistants could fill in. His answer: yes, and before 2023 ends.
Developing prototypes of custom AI
Otter, the maker of AI transcription services, is developing prototypes of custom AI personas to attend meetings in employees’ stead. Trained on individuals’ voice data and recorded meetings, the AI aims to replicate cadence and perspectives to converse naturally.
Liang believes the tech can currently answer 90% of questions, deferring when stumped.
Still need to show up during high-stakes meetings
The concept promises productivity gains from freed-up time. However, significant obstacles remain before seamless integration. AI must build social awareness to contribute appropriately and read emotional cues. While personality chatbots exist, most focus on celebrity likenesses rather than professional workplace interactions.
Still, Liang sees the tech advancing quickly enough for AI meeting attendees this year. But for high-stakes meetings, he still recommends showing up personally, leaving the digital twin behind.
