Victor Riparbelli is the CEO and co-founder of Synthesia, a leading enterprise-focused AI video platform.
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I wasn’t surprised when Meta announced an AI version of Mark Zuckerberg. When you’re the CEO of a global company with over 70,000 employees, it’s impossible to reach everyone in person. But communicating through a visual version of you, like an avatar, can seem far more compelling than sending an email.
What I believe we're seeing is a new video format emerging in real time—the same process that occurs whenever new technologies are introduced. The first websites just looked like a newspaper, but then they became fully interactive and personalized. Avatars are a scalable version of you that can be in two places at once and speak any language. Most companies are still figuring out what to do with that.
At a company of Meta’s size, coworkers will likely feel more engaged by the experience of Mark—with his tone of voice and mannerisms—than by a message that may be missed. That said, I don’t think this approach makes sense for every CEO, as it really depends on the use case. From my point of view as the CEO of an AI video platform, while avatars may be great for broadcasting a message to a large audience or replacing repetitive calls like onboarding or sales training, they aren’t an alternative for important moments of leadership.
The key is identifying where this strategy adds value. One of the more practical applications may be company-wide communication, particularly in large organizations where reaching every employee directly is difficult. An avatar can help deliver consistent messages at scale, allowing leaders to communicate more frequently while preserving time for responsibilities that require direct involvement.
The value of this approach depends on factors such as team size and how often employees interact with leadership in person. In some organizations, avatar-based communication may complement existing engagement efforts; in others, a more personal approach may remain preferable.
More broadly, AI can be useful when it helps streamline recurring activities without diminishing the quality of the experience. Training and onboarding are often cited as examples because they involve delivering consistent information to large groups while still benefiting from personalization.
Consider sales enablement. Many organizations face the challenge of keeping teams current on new products, pricing updates and competitive positioning. AI-generated training content, combined with interactive role-play exercises, can provide employees with additional opportunities to practice and receive feedback. The result is often greater visibility into areas where teams excel and where further coaching may be needed.
A similar opportunity exists in onboarding. While new hires typically receive the same foundational information, AI tools like avatars can help present that content in a more accessible and scalable way.
AI continues to shape the way we work. While I don't believe every CEO will have an avatar, there are many other ways to lean in and leverage the technology. For example, I strongly believe every business should be training an LLM with valuable company knowledge and making it accessible to everyone on the team.
Until now, this knowledge has lived with a handful of experts. Whenever they were busy, that knowledge was unavailable, and when they left the company, it was gone. In my opinion, the expertise of winning teams—the best engineers, salespeople and most experienced managers—is the number one asset any company has, and should be stored in one place for everyone.
We’re only seeing the beginning of how AI will shape the way we work. As the technology evolves, so will my suggestions and opinions. But, regardless of how the future unfolds, I firmly believe the core DNA of great companies will always be great people. Teams that are open to adopting early and in the right ways—finding the right combination of automation and collaboration—can unlock time to solve the world’s most important problems.
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