Several specialised meeting assistants and AI tools have emerged to enhance productivity and streamline the meeting process.
These tools automate various aspects of meeting management, from scheduling and transcription to generating actionable insights.
In September 2024, tech giant Google introduced the Gemini feature in Google Meet, which includes a functionality called "Take Notes for Me", which has officially now rolled out to users globally.
This AI-powered tool, when enabled, is designed to automatically record and capture conversations during a meeting in real-time, allowing participants to focus more on discussions rather than manual note-taking.
The recorded notes are then transcribed, saved automatically to the meeting owner’s Google Drive, or the person that started the note taking (if different), and can be shared with everyone on the calendar invite within the organisation.
Gemini also creates a summary that highlights the main topics discussed with timestamps, decisions made, and any assigned action items. This summary can be shared with all meeting attendees via email and is also linked to the calendar invitation.
Additionally, latecomers can utilise a “summary so far” feature that provides an overview of the notes captured up to that point without having to interrupt the ongoing meeting.
If no host controls are enabled, all meeting participants can stop and restart taking notes at any time. That way, you can ensure that any confidential or sensitive discussions aren't part of the meeting summary.
While elaborating on the new feature in a blogpost, Google said “It can be challenging to stay on top of and engaged with meeting discussions. This will help you be more present and engaged during your meetings, while still ensuring important information is captured for record-keeping and subsequent follow-ups.”
Currently, this feature only supports English. It is primarily available on computers and laptops, with plans for broader platform support in the future, according to Google.
IOL