Klarna and Zoom CEOs Used AI Avatars in Earnings Calls, Raising Deception Concerns

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In May 2025, Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski and Zoom CEO Eric Yuan each deployed AI-generated avatars of themselves during separate earnings presentations, marking a notable shift in how executives represent themselves professionally. Zoom subsequently launched photorealistic AI avatars as a formal product feature in March 2026, allowing users to mirror their expressions, lip movements, and eye contact even when absent. Yuan had been promoting the concept of AI 'digital twins' since mid-2024, predicting that such replicas could eventually handle routine meetings and enable shorter working weeks by 2030. The trend raises ethical questions about transparency and consent, as participants may not always know they are interacting with an AI stand-in rather than the actual person. Proponents argue AI avatars are simply the latest in a long line of professional proxies, from auto-replies to assistant-managed calendars, while critics see them as a more consequential form of misrepresentation.

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