UBS is using AI models to create video avatars of its analysts, aiming to streamline content delivery to clients.

According to the Financial Times, UBS has developed virtual versions of around 35 out of its 720 analysts, with plans to expand this number further.

The initiative makes use of technology from OpenAI and Synthesia.

To create the avatars, analysts record their likeness and voice in a studio operated by Synthesia.

A language model then reads the analyst’s report, drafts a script, and generates a realistic video using the recorded data.

The move is part of UBS’s efforts to improve efficiency and respond to client preferences for short-form video content, a format growing in popularity due to platforms like TikTok.

“There are two drivers for it: the client driver and the efficiency driver… It is helping you scale your video capabilities in a way that clients are asking you for, and ultimately saving you time to do your research and meet with clients,”

said Scott Solomon, Head of Global Research Technology at UBS.

Participation is optional for analysts.

While the system is still being refined, Solomon acknowledged it currently has difficulty handling some accents, UBS is looking to significantly increase output and produce up to 5,000 videos annually.

“We publish about 50,000 documents a year, [but video production] has been fixed at about 1,000 a year, because that’s basically our studio capacity. But the number of views on those videos has gone up dramatically,”

Solomon told the Financial Times.

Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Claudio Schwarz via Unsplash