Otter, which uses AI to offer a low-cost transcription service, is bringing its smarts to Google Meet, letting users access live notes and captions. All a user needs to do is install a Chrome extension, which will open up a live notes panel which will record what is said while people are saying it.
The company already offered a similar service to Zoom chats, but now offers an alternative to Google’s baked-in live caption service. Otter’s boast is that its interactive, editable transcripts are a great tool for collaboration when the meeting is finished.
In the announcement, Otter says that tools like this make it easy to record meetings to avoid confusion later, but also help folks with accessibility requirements. It also boasts that, since users can add key words to the system, the argot of your particular profession won’t stump the AI.
Otter isn’t necessarily the most accurate or reliable platform around -- it’s better as a quick-and-easy solution -- but its quality will surely improve. After all, the pandemic has forced so many people to work from home that this feature will go from nice-to-have to essential in no time.