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Zoom’s mission is to deliver an AI-first work platform

In this interview with Pratima Harigunani, he discusses Zoom’s vision for the future of workspaces, focusing on how AI, cloud telephony, holograms, and avatars can reshape collaboration.

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Voice&Data Bureau
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Sameer Raje, General Manager and Head of India & SAARC at Zoom Video Communications brings over two decades of experience in technology and collaboration solutions. Before joining Zoom in April 2019 to expand its presence in the region, Raje held senior leadership roles at Cisco WebEx, IBM, and Microsoft, where he built and led high-performing teams across pre-sales, sales, and support. His tenure at West Unified Communications saw him increase market share across APAC countries, further cementing his expertise in driving growth in the digital communication space.

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In this interview with Pratima Harigunani, he discusses Zoom’s vision for the future of workspaces, focusing on how AI, cloud telephony, holograms, and avatars can reshape collaboration. He sheds light on how Zoom is leveraging cutting-edge technologies to create seamless and immersive workplace experiences while positioning itself as a leader in a rapidly evolving industry. Excerpts:

How much, and how soon, can AI’s role change the space of collaboration tools?

AI is driving a monumental shift in how we work by improving productivity, simplifying tasks, and fostering engagement. It is reshaping teamwork and ushering in a new era of collaboration. However, a significant portion of collaboration involves time-consuming activities like sending meeting summaries, organising updates, or managing information, which can inadvertently impact productivity. Zoom’s mission is to deliver an AI-first work platform that enables limitless human connection. Through Zoom Workplace and Zoom Business Services, we aim to help individuals and teams focus on meaningful work, freeing time for creativity and collaboration.

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What have been the lessons while shaping up AI Companion 2.0?

We announced AI Companion 2.0, which brings a “single brain” working across Zoom and connected third-party data sources, offering expanded context and advanced synthesis capabilities. With this, users can receive intelligent suggestions based on their current work and past interactions, and it can pull information from emails and calendars to help users get up to speed quickly. Additionally, AI Companion now offers real-time web access, allowing users to find the information they need without leaving the platform. This evolution of AI-driven collaboration tools is transforming how teams work, helping them achieve more in less time.

Can you tell us more about holograms and AI avatars and their potential and pragmatic perspective in e-meetings?

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Zoom’s vision for custom avatars for Zoom Clips is to help people get more done faster and scale their work easily. For instance, recording a Zoom Clip often requires multiple takes, which can be time-consuming. With the AI Companion, users can bypass this repetitive process as it creates the Clip, saving both time and effort.

Zoom Workplace and Zoom Business Services aim to help individuals and teams focus on meaningful work, freeing time for creativity and collaboration.

We built Zoom Workplace with AI Companion to help people get the right things done faster. With that ethos, we are building custom avatars for Zoom Clips to help people communicate asynchronously with their colleagues faster and more productively by saving them precious time and effort recording clips. Choosing a pre-populated avatar speeds up the clip development process by removing the need for the user to get camera-ready.

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Why custom avatars?

Custom avatars for Zoom Clips help users save time and effort by recording a Clip based on transcripts provided by users. In the future, we envision “digital twins” as an interactive AI that can attend meetings on behalf of users so that they never skip a beat.

In the future, we envision digital twins as an interactive AI that can attend meetings on behalf of users so that they never skip a beat.

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With Clips avatars with AI Companion, organisations can choose from a library of pre-populated human avatars that reflect their brand identity. Customers who purchase the custom AI Companion add-on can create personalised AI-generated avatars on an individual user basis.

What is your response and action plan regarding emerging concerns about virtual screen threats, deepfake video scams, and scams like ‘digital arrest’?

Zoom takes all matters of platform safety, security, and privacy seriously. We are always improving our features to meet evolving challenges and have various ways for hosts to control a meeting. We also encourage all users to be vigilant for signs of a scam. Suppose a user suspects another participant is using a deepfake. In that case, we encourage them to report that to our Trust & Safety team and law enforcement authorities, so appropriate action can be taken. Privacy and security remain at the top of our minds, and Zoom is committed to complying with applicable regulations in all regions we operate. In our ongoing investment in AI, we remain focused on putting user security and trust at the forefront.

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Tell us about the progress so far with Zoom Phone.

Zoom India received the Unified License with Access—All/PAN India and Long Distance licenses from the Department of Telecommunications in April 2023. Since obtaining these licenses, Zoom has prioritised building dedicated domestic infrastructure for Zoom Phone in India and ensuring compliance with local regulations. This effort establishes Zoom as the first provider to deliver a licensed cloud PBX service in India bundled with local phone numbers, reinforcing Zoom’s commitment to being a trusted service provider.

What is its scope?

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In October 2024, Zoom announced the launch of its industry-leading Zoom Phone in India, commencing with availability in the Maharashtra Telecom Circle (MHTC), marking a significant milestone in Zoom’s commitment to the Indian market. Zoom Phone provides multinational and homegrown companies with a reliable, intuitive, and versatile cloud PBX service that meets India’s regulatory requirements. This launch commenced with native India phone numbers in Maharashtra Telecom Circle (Pune). It will extend to Karnataka (Bangalore), Tamil Nadu (Chennai), Andhra Pradesh (Hyderabad), Mumbai, and Delhi telecom circles, covering all major technology hubs in India.

How will it deliver on areas like uptime of multiple 9s, hardware versatility and availability during Internet Outages?

Regarding uptime, Zoom Phone will have an uptime of multiple 9s with our necessary redundant setup, ensuring high availability and reliability for our customers. Leading hardware partners support Zoom Phone. Reflecting the demand for Unified Communications as a Service solution in India, Zoom Phone meets enterprise-class requirements through scalability, security, and user-friendly design.

Are there any user examples and data on outcomes that you can share?

Essar Power, one of India’s first and leading private players in generating, transmitting, and distributing electric energy, has deployed Workvivo by Zoom to improve employee engagement with the help of technology. Zoom has also been pivotal in transforming upGrad’s virtual learning and counselling experiences. Its intuitive interface, reliable audio and video quality, and robust features like screen sharing and breakout rooms enable upGrad to deliver comprehensive learning experiences. Lenskart, India’s leading optical prescription eyewear retail chain, faced a significant challenge in managing the uneven distribution of optometrists across different regions in India. To address this, Lenskart turned to Zoom Contact Center, which enabled optometrists to perform remote eye tests via video for customers.

Zoom Phone provides companies with a reliable, intuitive, and versatile cloud PBX service that meets India’s regulatory requirements.

There are many more such examples, like Excelsoft, which leverages Zoom Video SDK to elevate exam integrity with its AI-powered remote proctoring system, easyProctor. Implemented by the UGC for the MoE, the Bangladesh Research and Education Network introduced Zoom as a potential game-changer for its virtual classrooms, leveraging Zoom to overcome geographical constraints and usher in a new era of accessible and quality education for its students.

What are the highlights and turning points of Zoom’s transformation from a video conferencing solution to a workplace paradigm?

With an ageing population and slower workforce growth, flexible work arrangements are crucial to ensure workers remain productive while managing family needs. Zoom addressed this by building an AI-first work platform that supports meaningful connection, communication, and collaboration. By integrating phone, meetings, team chat, whiteboard, and more into a unified, cost-effective solution, Zoom Workplace streamlines team collaboration. Since Zoomtopia 2023, we have added over 3,000 new features, making it easier for employees to share information through Zoom Team Chat or make calls with Zoom Phone, offering the flexibility and efficiency leaders need.

The Zoom AI Companion is another key product that uses AI to democratise access to flexible work. This generative AI digital assistant is included at no extra cost for paid users. It helps employees collaborate better, enhance skills, and save time, supporting over 30 languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, and Tamil. Our omnichannel Zoom Contact Centre can help these businesses deliver prompt, accurate, highly personalised customer experiences that drive loyalty. AI-driven features like sentiment analysis and conversation summaries provide seamless support across multiple channels while improving the agent experience. The next generation of Zoom Virtual Agent handles multi-intent inquiries and processes complex queries in a single session, improving customer support efficiency.

Pratima H

pratimah@cybermedia.co.in

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