Victor Riparbelli is the CEO and co-founder of Synthesia, a leading enterprise-focused AI video platform.
It’s always been hard to predict exactly how new technology will change the way we live and impossible to imagine the new jobs it will create. So, historically, we’ve worried about the worst-case scenarios in the context of today. But the reality is our environments are always evolving at the same rate, creating completely new conditions for these inventions to exist in.
That’s why few parts of history stand the test of time. For example, even in the fields of physics, we’ve seen the theory of general relativity continue to evolve. So in the case of the fastest-developing and most advanced technology in the history of humanity, it’s no wonder no one can predict what the future of AI will look like or how our work lives will evolve.
But regardless of the way technology shapes the future, I believe two things will always be true: Humans will remain a very important part of running any business, and as the way we interact with technology continues to evolve, it will increasingly mirror the human experience.
From Writing To Talking
Today, we spend half of an average work week (20 hours) on written communication because finding time to meet or speak with someone requires navigating busy schedules and taking time. Still, whenever possible, we find ways to talk instead of typing. It’s faster, it feels less like work, and five minutes of talking can deliver three times more information than text, including important nuances.
So on an average workday, we’ll switch between text, audio, video and in-person interaction without even thinking. We often have the option to send an email, meet in a conference room, send a Slack message or jump on a Zoom call. Yet when it comes to AI, which over 90% of companies are now using in at least one business function, most of our communication is still limited to the very first AI format introduced by ChatGPT in 2022: text.
We aren’t hardwired to communicate exclusively via text, yet we’ve been stuck in this chat-based interface ever since. That means our interactions with AI have never had nuances like tone of voice, facial expressions, body language, etc. And since text is too compressed to convey a complete message, it’s always left room for misinterpretation and miscommunication.
Making AI More Human
As we continue to develop new AI-native formats, the way we work with it will change and expand far beyond text. The same way we communicate with coworkers differently depending on the task, some of our core AI interactions will become visual and conversational. You can already see the early shape of this happening industry-wide, where voice has gone from a side feature to something companies like HeyGen, Colossyan and DeepBrain AI are racing to build entire products around.
As the CEO of an AI video platform, I think the natural next step will be interactive video.
This format will preserve visual and auditory nuances, while interactivity will allow for real-time conversation. In the context of work, this will make it possible for us to interact with AI anytime—and at any scale. Instead of typing or watching a video, we’ll be able to simulate conversations and learning experiences that feel just like live interaction, without taking someone’s time.
At work, this will fundamentally change the way we communicate with each other, too. Today, the trade-offs of human-to-human interaction are high due to schedule constraints. We currently spend almost 400 hours a year in meetings and, when we’re not in them, we’re busy making progress on projects. And since we can’t clone ourselves, it’s always been impossible for us to have 100 conversations in a day or touch base with 50 salespeople every week.
With interactive video, avatars will always be available to communicate with coworkers on our behalf, with full memory and context. Instead of simply remembering our last conversation, or what deal we’re working on, avatars will have the capacity and objectivity to perfectly recall relevant knowledge in real-time, both through live conversations and follow-up actions. They’ll look like us, sound like us and have access to unlimited context.
As AI continues to shape the way we work—and the experience of talking to avatars feels more real—the time we choose to spend in-person and the work we do together will only become increasingly meaningful.
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