Zoom unveiled a suite of innovative AI-driven products and features at its annual Zoomtopia conference on Wednesday, aiming to enhance cross-platform collaboration and productivity. The centerpiece is an upgraded AI Companion, designed to function seamlessly across multiple meeting applications, positioning Zoom to compete more effectively with specialized notetaking tools like Read AI, Otter, Fireflies, Granola, and Circleback.
The enhanced AI Companion now extends beyond Zoom meetings to integrate with Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, enabling real-time transcription and note-taking even for in-person gatherings. Users can manually jot down notes during sessions, after which the AI expands and structures them into organized summaries. A new cross-platform search capability allows retrieval of information from Google and Microsoft ecosystems, streamlining access to scattered data.
Calendar management receives a significant boost with AI-powered scheduling tools. The Companion can identify optimal time slots that accommodate all attendees’ availability. Additionally, a “free up my time” request feature analyzes schedules and suggests meetings to skip or reschedule, echoing similar functionalities from tools like Clockwise, which introduced conflict resolution last year. Proactive recommendations further assist by generating suggested tasks, agenda items for preparation, and a collaborative group AI assistant to facilitate team interactions.
Addressing user convenience and privacy concerns, Zoom introduced photorealistic AI avatars that mimic users’ on-video actions. These avatars serve as stand-ins when participants are not camera-ready, with CEO Eric Yuan demonstrating one earlier this year during a quarterly earnings call. While promising for flexibility, the feature raises deepfake risks, potentially prompting corporate IT teams to implement safeguards. Consumer rollout is slated for the end of the year.
Meeting hosts gain new engagement tools, including Zoom Clips—an asynchronous video messaging feature—and AI avatars to welcome participants in waiting rooms and outline session objectives. Live translation capabilities powered by AI will support multilingual communication, broadening accessibility.
The platform’s web interface has been revamped to prominently showcase the AI Companion. Complementary AI tools include a writing assistant for drafting emails and documents, plus a deep research feature for in-depth information gathering. Developers and users can now create custom AI agents, supported by the Model Context Protocol (MCP), fostering tailored automation.
Technical enhancements ensure smoother experiences, with support for higher bit rates and 60 frames per second (fps) video in meetings. A new Zoom Video Management tool will simplify the organization and handling of video assets, catering to content creators and teams reliant on multimedia.
These updates reflect Zoom’s strategy to evolve from a video conferencing leader into a comprehensive productivity hub, integrating AI to rival established suites while mitigating competitive pressures from niche startups. As adoption grows, balancing innovation with security will be key for widespread enterprise acceptance.
