- Warren Buffett is no longer Berkshire Hathaway's CEO, but he's still top of mind at its annual meeting.
- As well as a surprise real-life appearance, Buffett also appeared in digital form.
- A deepfake of the legendary investor asked the first question at new CEO Greg Abel's Q&A session.
Warren Buffett is no longer the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, but he's still at its annual conference, in both physical and digital form.
For years at Berkshire meetings, Buffett held lengthy question-and-answer sessions with the company's shareholders, covering everything from the inner workings of its businesses to geopolitics to his favorite foods.
At 2026's shareholder meeting, however, new CEO Greg Abel hosted the annual Q&A, and the first question came from a familiar face.
After concluding a discussion with Berkshire's insurance chief, Ajit Jain, Abel opened the floor up to questions, and beaming around the CHI Health Center was Buffett's likeness, wearing his trademark suit and tie.
"Hi, my name is Warren, from Omaha," said the familiar, gravely voice. "I've recently undergone, let's say, a significant change in role."
"My question is a simple one. I'm 95 years old, I've got nothing but time and Cherry Coke, and I want to know, just so I have something to tell my fellow shareholders, why should they hold their Berkshire shares for the long term?"
A laughing Abel called it a "very astute question" before giving a lengthy answer about the strength of Berkshire's businesses and the importance of its huge cash pile.
"As you've all picked up, that was a deepfake," Abel told the crowd.
"Here's the interesting thing: That was done with zero input from Warren. We were able to obtain that with information that's out there and replicate those actions and that voice," he said.
Abel then went on to use the deepfake Buffett to make a point about the growing risk to businesses of cyberattacks and fake information.
"The reality is that's what we're dealing with when we think about Berkshire and how we have to protect it every day," he said.
Not long before AI Buffett's question, Abel made clear to Berkshire watchers that he's cautious on employing the technology across the company.
"We're not going to do AI for the sake of AI," Abel said, adding that the tech has to be "additive to our businesses."
