Close Menu
TechBrunchTechBrunch
  • Home
  • AI
  • Apps
  • Crypto
  • Security
  • Startups
  • TechCrunch
  • Venture

Subscribe to Updates

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news

Subscribe my Newsletter for New Posts & tips Let's stay updated!

What's Hot

Google CEO adds new calendar features at requests from Stripe co-founders

August 13, 2025

Indian Rapid begins testing food delivery for Zomato, Swiggy and Swiggy

August 13, 2025

Instagram develops features that help users find shared interests

August 13, 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
TechBrunchTechBrunch
  • Home
  • AI

    OpenAI seeks to extend human lifespans with the help of longevity startups

    January 17, 2025

    Farewell to the $200 million woolly mammoth and TikTok

    January 17, 2025

    Nord Security founder launches Nexos.ai to help enterprises move AI projects from pilot to production

    January 17, 2025

    Data proves it remains difficult for startups to raise capital, even though VCs invested $75 billion in the fourth quarter

    January 16, 2025

    Apple suspends AI notification summaries for news after generating false alerts

    January 16, 2025
  • Apps

    Google CEO adds new calendar features at requests from Stripe co-founders

    August 13, 2025

    Indian Rapid begins testing food delivery for Zomato, Swiggy and Swiggy

    August 13, 2025

    Instagram develops features that help users find shared interests

    August 13, 2025

    Pocket FM provides writers with AI tools to transform stories and write cliffhangers.

    August 13, 2025

    Amazon delivers same-day delivery of perishable groceries in 1,000 US cities

    August 13, 2025
  • Crypto

    North Korean spies pretending to be remote workers have invaded hundreds of businesses, CloudStrike says

    August 4, 2025

    Telegram's Crypto Wallet will be released in the US

    July 22, 2025

    Indian Crypto ExchangeCoindCX confirms $44 million stolen during hack

    July 21, 2025

    North Korean hackers blamed record-breaking spikes in 2025

    July 17, 2025

    Bitcoin surpasses $118K at the second highest high in 24 hours

    July 11, 2025
  • Security

    How did Teaonher find a user's driver's license spilling within 10 minutes?

    August 13, 2025

    Russian government hackers are said to be behind a US federal court filed system hack: Report

    August 12, 2025

    Hackers violate North Korea's spy operations and reveal

    August 12, 2025

    US government seized $1 million from a Russian ransomware gang

    August 11, 2025

    Electronic Arts Blocks Over 300,000 Civil Act after launching Battlefield 6 Beta

    August 11, 2025
  • Startups

    7 days left: Founders and VCs save over $300 on all stage passes

    March 24, 2025

    AI chip startup Furiosaai reportedly rejecting $800 million acquisition offer from Meta

    March 24, 2025

    20 Hottest Open Source Startups of 2024

    March 22, 2025

    Andrill may build a weapons factory in the UK

    March 21, 2025

    Startup Weekly: Wiz bets paid off at M&A Rich Week

    March 21, 2025
  • TechCrunch

    OpenSea takes a long-term view with a focus on UX despite NFT sales remaining low

    February 8, 2024

    AI will save software companies' growth dreams

    February 8, 2024

    B2B and B2C are not about who buys, but how you sell

    February 5, 2024

    It's time for venture capital to break away from fast fashion

    February 3, 2024

    a16z's Chris Dixon believes it's time to focus on blockchain use cases rather than speculation

    February 2, 2024
  • Venture

    Tony Robbins and Peter Diamandis's Longevity Company Fountain Living Raising $18 million

    August 13, 2025

    Women have made real progress in venture capital, and the numbers prove it

    August 13, 2025

    StubHub is working on an IPO that can raise $1 billion again

    August 12, 2025

    Google Vet is raising $8 million for Continua to bring AI agents to group chat

    August 12, 2025

    Slow Venture cuts initial checks from $60 million creator fund to woodworking founders

    August 11, 2025
TechBrunchTechBrunch

Zoom's custom AI avatar tool may come with risks

TechBrunchBy TechBrunchOctober 9, 20243 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Telegram LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Telegram Email


Zoom wants to turn you into an AI-animated photorealistic avatar, but not until sometime next year.

The next feature, announced today at Zoom's annual development conference, turns a video clip that users record of themselves into a digital clone, complete with a head, upper arms, and shoulders. Users enter a script of what they want the digital double to say, and Zoom generates audio that syncs with the avatar's lip movements.

Smita Hashim, Zoom's chief product officer, told TechCrunch that the custom avatars are designed to help people chat “asynchronously” with colleagues in a “faster, more productive” way. Ta.

“Avatar saves users valuable time and effort in recording clips, allowing them to scale their video creation,” Hashim said.

However, it can also pose a risk of deepfakes.

A number of companies have developed AI techniques that digitally “clone” a person's face and combine the clone with a synthetic voice that sounds reasonably natural. For example, Tavus helps brands create virtual personas for personalized video ads, and Microsoft last year launched a service that can generate convincing digital stand-ins for people.

However, many of these tools implement certain strict safeguards to prevent abuse. Tavus requires verbal consent, and Microsoft requires customers to obtain written permission and consent from the avatar talent they are performing with.

Zoom was a little more vague about its safety measures.

Hashim noted that Zoom's usage policies prohibit abuse, and said the company has built in “many safeguards” in its custom avatar feature, including “advanced authentication” and watermarks.

“We will continue to review and add safety measures as necessary,” Hashim said. “We employ technology (…) to (…) make it clear that clips were generated using Avatars and (…) ensure the integrity of content generated by Avatars. .”

zoom custom avatarMockup of Zoom's custom avatar feature. Image credit: Zoom

Zoom's digital images align with CEO Eric Yuan's broader vision to one day create an AI that can speak in Zoom meetings, respond to emails, and answer phone calls.

But these lookalikes come at a time when deepfakes are spreading like wildfire across social media, making it difficult to distinguish truth from disinformation.

So far this year, deepfakes featuring President Joe Biden, Taylor Swift and Vice President Kamala Harris have racked up millions of views and re-shares. Most recently, Hurricane Helen flooded the web with fake AI-generated images depicting destruction and human suffering.

Deepfakes are also used to target individuals, for example by impersonating a loved one. According to the FTC, losses related to identity fraud exceeded $1 billion last year.

How exactly will Zoom prevent scammers from using its tools to generate videos of people saying things they didn't say for malicious purposes? It's not yet clear there is no. The mockup provided by the company shows a watermark in the top right corner of the custom avatar video. However, such watermarks can be easily cropped by screen recording tools.

We expect to have further information in the first half of 2025. At that time, Zoom plans to release custom avatars for its asynchronous video tool Zoom Clips as part of a premium add-on that costs $12 per user per month.

Regardless of what steps Zoom ultimately takes, or not, regulatory efforts to stem the flood of deepfakes continue.

The United States has no federal law criminalizing deepfakes, and more than 10 states have enacted laws banning AI-based impersonation. California's law, which is currently stalled, would be the first to give judges the power to order deepfake posters to take them down. Failure to do so may result in fines.



Source link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

Google CEO adds new calendar features at requests from Stripe co-founders

August 13, 2025

Indian Rapid begins testing food delivery for Zomato, Swiggy and Swiggy

August 13, 2025

Instagram develops features that help users find shared interests

August 13, 2025

Pocket FM provides writers with AI tools to transform stories and write cliffhangers.

August 13, 2025

Amazon delivers same-day delivery of perishable groceries in 1,000 US cities

August 13, 2025

Apple dismisses Elon Musk's claim that the App Store supports Openai over other AI apps

August 13, 2025

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Top Reviews
Editors Picks

7 days left: Founders and VCs save over $300 on all stage passes

March 24, 2025

AI chip startup Furiosaai reportedly rejecting $800 million acquisition offer from Meta

March 24, 2025

20 Hottest Open Source Startups of 2024

March 22, 2025

Andrill may build a weapons factory in the UK

March 21, 2025
About Us
About Us

Welcome to Tech Brunch, your go-to destination for cutting-edge insights, news, and analysis in the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cryptocurrency, Technology, and Startups. At Tech Brunch, we are passionate about exploring the latest trends, innovations, and developments shaping the future of these dynamic industries.

Our Picks

Google CEO adds new calendar features at requests from Stripe co-founders

August 13, 2025

Indian Rapid begins testing food delivery for Zomato, Swiggy and Swiggy

August 13, 2025

Instagram develops features that help users find shared interests

August 13, 2025

Subscribe to Updates

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news

Subscribe my Newsletter for New Posts & tips Let's stay updated!

© 2025 TechBrunch. Designed by TechBrunch.
  • Home
  • About Tech Brunch
  • Advertise with Tech Brunch
  • Contact us
  • DMCA Notice
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.