AI avatars are emerging as a new corporate communication tool, with major tech CEOs now deploying digital versions of themselves for important financial announcements. This shift represents a growing integration of AI technology into corporate communications, potentially signaling a future where executive presence becomes increasingly digitized while simultaneously showcasing the companies’ own AI capabilities.
The big picture: Tech executives are beginning to use AI-generated avatars of themselves for earnings reports and investor communications, demonstrating their companies’ AI capabilities while establishing a new trend in corporate messaging.
- Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski used an AI avatar to present the company’s Q1 2025 results in an 83-second video, with the avatar explicitly identifying itself as such.
- Zoom CEO Eric Yuan followed suit, deploying an AI version of himself during portions of the company’s Q1 2026 earnings call while appearing in person for the Q&A segment.
Key details: Klarna has established itself as an AI-forward company, having previously used CEO avatars and implementing AI across its business operations.
- The buy-now-pay-later company has been vocal about its AI investments, which Siemiatkowski told CNBC have contributed to workforce reductions.
- This wasn’t Klarna’s first experiment with AI avatars for earnings presentations, suggesting the company is comfortable with this communication approach.
What they’re saying: Zoom’s CEO expressed enthusiasm for the avatar technology his company has developed.
- “I truly love my AI-generated avatar,” Yuan remarked during the live Q&A portion of the call, adding, “I think we are going to continue using that. I can tell you — I like that experience a lot.”
- Yuan’s avatar noted in the presentation video that he was “proud to be among the first-ever CEOs to use an avatar in an earnings call.”
Behind the numbers: Zoom’s implementation included transparent labeling, with a message in the top right corner of Yuan’s avatar video stating it was “created with Zoom AI Companion.”
Recent Stories
DOE fusion roadmap targets 2030s commercial deployment as AI drives $9B investment
The Department of Energy has released a new roadmap targeting commercial-scale fusion power deployment by the mid-2030s, though the plan lacks specific funding commitments and relies on scientific breakthroughs that have eluded researchers for decades. The strategy emphasizes public-private partnerships and positions AI as both a research tool and motivation for developing fusion energy to meet data centers' growing electricity demands. The big picture: The DOE's roadmap aims to "deliver the public infrastructure that supports the fusion private sector scale up in the 2030s," but acknowledges it cannot commit to specific funding levels and remains subject to Congressional appropriations. Why...
Oct 17, 2025Tying it all together: Credo’s purple cables power the $4B AI data center boom
Credo, a Silicon Valley semiconductor company specializing in data center cables and chips, has seen its stock price more than double this year to $143.61, following a 245% surge in 2024. The company's signature purple cables, which cost between $300-$500 each, have become essential infrastructure for AI data centers, positioning Credo to capitalize on the trillion-dollar AI infrastructure expansion as hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Elon Musk's xAI rapidly build out massive computing facilities. What you should know: Credo's active electrical cables (AECs) are becoming indispensable for connecting the massive GPU clusters required for AI training and inference. The company...
Oct 17, 2025Vatican launches Latin American AI network for human development
The Vatican hosted a two-day conference bringing together 50 global experts to explore how artificial intelligence can advance peace, social justice, and human development. The event launched the Latin American AI Network for Integral Human Development and established principles for ethical AI governance that prioritize human dignity over technological advancement. What you should know: The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Vatican's research body for social issues, organized the "Digital Rerum Novarum" conference on October 16-17, combining academic research with practical AI applications. Participants included leading experts from MIT, Microsoft, Columbia University, the UN, and major European institutions. The conference...