Seems they just removed the presenters contact with the audience for the duration of a talk, putting a dead version of themselves in their place. How is that "

Seems they just removed the presenters contact with the audience for the duration of a talk, putting a dead version of themselves in their place. How is that "productivity"? Is this a reference to Google making more money compared to live talks? I have a hard time perceiving it as anything but a solution looking for a problem.