Otter, the AI-powered meeting assistant that transcribes audio in real-time, today introduces Meeting GenAI, a new set of AI tools for meetings, adding a new layer of AI to its products. GenAI includes an AI chatbot that can be queried to retrieve information about past meetings recorded in Otter, an AI chat feature available for teams, and an AI conversation summary that provides an overview of meetings held . Therefore, there is no need to read the full transcript to understand the content.
Journalists and students may use AI to record interviews, lectures, and more, but Otter's new AI capabilities are more targeted at people leveraging meeting helpers in corporate environments. The company envisions its new tools to complement or replace AI capabilities provided by various services, such as Microsoft Copilot, Zoom AI Companion, and Google Duet, for example.
Otter CEO Sam Liang explains that the idea to introduce new AI tools was inspired by his own busy schedule.
“In fact, I have 30, sometimes more than 30, meetings each week. Sometimes I end up double-booking. I couldn't attend two or three meetings at the same time, but Otter Autopilot They tuned into those meetings for me,” he said, referring to the Otter feature that allows AI bots to record meetings and review them later. .
Users will now be able to read an AI-generated summary of what was covered at the meeting, including a paragraph followed by a list of action items. Otter customers can now interact with an AI chatbot and ask questions about things like what happened in past meetings.
Image credits: Otter
For example, you can ask your AI chatbot questions like “What did the CMO say?” or “Has the release date changed?”
Liang acknowledges that Otter is not the first to offer an AI companion for meetings (Microsoft Copilot and Zoom's AI companions have similar capabilities), but Otter's version is more powerful. We believe in being inclusive.
“With AI chat, you can query the entire meeting history,” he explains. This means you can go back and ask questions about previous meetings, not just the one you're considering.
Another feature provides an AI chatbot that joins Otter's channels where group chats take place. Here, the bot interacts like any other chat with other participants and can be launched by anyone who asks Otter a question. For example, when a user is chatting with each other, he can stop and ask the AI a question like, “Hey otter, how much is our revenue?” AI chatbot answers your questions.
The ultimate goal is for Otter to analyze what is being discussed and actively participate when he thinks there is something useful to be done. Perhaps even if the coworker doesn't know the answer to the question, Otter can look back at the company's meeting history and find the answer shared elsewhere and be able to answer it someday.
Image credits: Otter
Otter's data is stored and secured in the cloud, similar to other cloud-based services such as Dropbox and Google's Gmail, but meeting data cannot be accessed by anyone not authorized by the company. This makes Otter, including its AI capabilities, accessible through any device, including laptops and smartphones. The company also says that Otter does not use customer data to train his AI, but does allow individual users to post recordings on an opt-in basis.
Notably, the company has no plans to charge for the new AI features. Microsoft charges $360 a year for Copilot for Office 365 and Teams, but Otter's GenAI is included in both the free plan and the $20/month business plan.