Copyright indiatimes
Eric Yuan, Zoom’s founder and CEO, believes artificial intelligence could help us move towards shorter working weeks. He was speaking at the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 conference, explaining how Zoom is embracing AI, including a “digital twin” feature that allows an AI version of you to take part in meetings on your behalf.Yuan had previously discussed this idea with The New York Times last month, saying that AI’s rapid progress will enable people to achieve the same or even better results with much less effort.To demonstrate the technology’s potential, he even used his own AI avatar during a company earnings call earlier this year. At the time, the digital Yuan said, “I am proud to be among the first CEOs to use an avatar in an earnings call. It is just one example of how Zoom is pushing the boundaries of communication and collaboration. At the same time, we know trust and security are essential… We’ve built strong safeguards to prevent misuse, protect identity, and ensure avatars are used responsibly.”During his talk at the conference, Yuan described how AI companions could be useful far beyond video conferencing. As an example, he gave the scenario of two business executives negotiating a contract over Zoom. Rather than spending hours on a call, their digital twins could first work together on a draft agreement.He also suggested that AI could handle tasks such as managing emails, checking messages, and highlighting which ones require attention.Beyond that, he said AI would enhance Zoom’s broader range of tools, such as its online whiteboard and collaborative documents. “Today, I need to manually focus on all those products to get work done. Eventually, AI will help,” Yuan explained.“By doing that, we do not need to work five days a week anymore, right? … Five years out, three days or four days [a week]. That’s a goal,” he added.Yuan isn’t the only tech leader who sees AI as a path to shorter working weeks. Tech figures such as Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang share similar views. Gates even suggested that within the next decade, some companies could move to a two-day workweek.
