#2 - Meeting Assistants

Work Smarter

Welcome to Episode 2 of the Work Smarter Podcast! In this episode, we delve into the exciting world of AI-powered meeting assistants.

We cover what meeting assistants are and their evolution from traditional secretarial roles to advanced AI-powered tools. We explain the core functionalities of meeting assistants, such as note-taking, tracking action items, and keeping meetings on track. Our focus then shifts to two main AI meeting assistants: Microsoft Copilot for 365/Teams Premium and Otter.ai. We highlight the benefits and challenges of using these tools, including transcription accuracy and data security concerns.

We explore Microsoft Copilot for 365/Teams Premium in detail, emphasising its integration with Microsoft Teams and its limitation to Teams meetings. We discuss the advantages of transcription, action item tracking, and meeting summaries, while also stressing the importance of validating AI-generated notes for accuracy. We then discuss Otter.ai, noting its versatility across multiple platforms like Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom, and its unique feature of attending meetings on behalf of the user. However, we also touch on the data security concerns and the process of tagging participants for better transcription accuracy.

Other meeting assistants, such as Granola.so and Plaud.ai, are also mentioned. Granola is a Mac-only tool that works without attendees knowing by intercepting audio locally, while Plaud.ai attaches to phones to record calls and take action minutes, making it useful for capturing phone call details.

In closing, we emphasise the transformative potential of AI meeting assistants and tease the next episode on alternatives to Excel for data management. We encourage listeners to consider how AI can streamline their meeting processes and look forward to exploring more technological solutions in future episodes.

Resources mentioned in this episode include Microsoft Copilot for 365/Teams Premium, Otter.ai, Granola, and Plaud.ai.

Join us next time for Episode 3, where we will explore the best tools and platforms for managing data when Excel no longer meets your needs. Thank you for tuning in to the Work Smarter Podcast! Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review. See you next time!