AI-powered transcription service Otter.ai is today announcing a complete overhaul of its platform, offering workers new intelligently generated in-meeting action items, alongside a centralized environment for all meeting transcriptions and notes. Building on the launch of its Otter Assistant in August 2021, the new update aims to streamline communication further by continuing to use conversational AI to improve both the in-meeting and post-meeting experience. The update consists of a new-look home feed, which now acts as a centralized hub for all meeting and post-meeting actions. Users can connect their Google or Microsoft Outlook calendars to Otter to keep track of upcoming meetings, use it to directly join meetings or schedule their Otter Assistant to join. Shared conversations, highlights and comments, and tagged action items will also all be accessible from the new home feed.

By this point in the pandemic, it's safe to say most of us would be happy if we didn't have to attend another Zoom call ever again. But with COVID-19 still an ongoing concern and companies like Google moving to hybrid work weeks, it's fair to say video meetings will likely be a consistent fixture of most jobs for the foreseeable future. Audio transcription company Otter thinks it has a potential solution for Zoom fatigue. It's introducing a new software feature called Otter Assistant that will attend Zoom calls on your behalf and take notes for you. The company says the tool works with all Zoom meetings, even ones where you're not the host.