Zoom AI Companion Usage Guide | Generated by AI
Question: What is the task of the AI Companion in Zoom? One can ask this to the AI Companion in Zoom. What are good uses for it, how often should we use it, and should it be used in the middle or at the end of a meeting? Can only the host start the AI Companion?
Answer:
Overview of Zoom AI Companion’s Task
The Zoom AI Companion is a generative AI-powered digital assistant integrated into the Zoom platform. Its primary task is to enhance productivity and collaboration by providing real-time assistance, automating routine tasks, and generating insights across Zoom features like meetings, chats, and documents. For example, in meetings, it can transcribe discussions, answer questions about ongoing or past content, and extract key details—all based on the meeting’s audio, video, and chat data. You can directly ask it questions via a chat interface in the Zoom app, such as “What’s my task?” to pull out action items assigned to you from the conversation.
Good Uses for Zoom AI Companion
The AI Companion is versatile for various scenarios, focusing on efficiency without replacing human interaction. Here are some effective uses:
- Meeting Support: Ask real-time questions like “Catch me up” (if you join late), “Was my name mentioned?”, or “What are the action items?” to stay engaged without disrupting the flow.
- Post-Meeting Insights: Generate summaries, highlight key points, or identify tasks and decisions for quick review or sharing with absentees.
- Content Creation: In chats or docs, it can draft responses, summarize threads, or create agendas based on calendar events.
- Productivity Boosts: Extract tasks from voicemails (with Zoom Phone) or prioritize emails, helping teams focus on high-value work.
- Accessibility Aids: Provide transcripts or clarifications in multilingual meetings (supports 30+ languages).
Avoid using it for sensitive discussions (e.g., HIPAA data or PII) due to privacy risks—hosts should notify attendees and pause features if needed.
How Often and When to Use It
- Frequency: Use it selectively, not in every meeting, to maintain focus and avoid over-reliance. It’s ideal for longer or complex sessions (e.g., 1+ hours) where note-taking or recall is challenging. For short huddles, manual notes might suffice. Aim for 2–3 times per week per user to balance benefits with data processing costs.
- Timing:
- Middle of Meeting: Best for real-time queries (e.g., during discussions) to clarify points on the fly—start it early if questions are anticipated.
- End of Meeting: Optimal for summaries and task extraction, as it processes the full context. Hosts can enable it briefly at the end to generate a recap without capturing the entire session.
Hosts can start/stop features mid-meeting for targeted use, ensuring only relevant portions are processed. Always notify participants when activating it.
Who Can Start the AI Companion?
Yes, only the meeting host (or co-host) can start or stop the AI Companion features in a meeting—participants cannot initiate them independently. However:
- Participants can request the host to enable it during the session.
- For personal use outside meetings (e.g., in the Zoom app’s side panel), individual users can toggle it on via settings if permitted by admins.
- Admins control account-wide access, and it’s off by default for privacy.
To get started, hosts enable it in Zoom settings under the AI Companion tab. Participants will see a notification when it’s active and can opt out by leaving.
[References:
- Getting started with Zoom AI Companion features
-
[Zoom AI Companion Wharton Knowledge Base](https://support.wharton.upenn.edu/help/zoom-ai-companion) - About Zoom AI Companion - Information Technology Services
- What You Need to Know About the Zoom AI Companion
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[A legal and compliance guide to Zoom AI Companion Zoom](https://www.zoom.com/en/blog/legal-and-compliance-guide-to-ai-companion/)]