What's New at Zoom | October 2023 Recap

[allieblum]

Every month we share a recap of new products, features, ZLC courses, business updates, and more with account admins and owners in our What's New at Zoom email newsletter. In October, we primarily focused on updates to Zoom's new AI features. Download the latest version of the Zoom client to access all of these features, and remember to check out our release notes for a complete list of past releases across the Zoom platform. 

Zoom Learning Center Updates

• Explore Zoom AI Companion with free training - Come see what all the buzz is about! Explore features of Zoom AI Companion across the Zoom platform with the Zoom Learning Center’s free, self-guided courses for users and administrators.
• Calling all Zoom Phone fans - The Zoom Learning Center recently refreshed its Zoom Phone catalog for users and administrators. Dial in your knowledge of the latest features in this comprehensive, eight-course collection.

Key Highlights from Zoom’s October Releases 

Zoom Web Updates

• Migration of AI Companion web settings to dedicated AI Companion tab - The corresponding web settings for most AI Companion features are being moved to their own dedicated tab on the Account, Group, and User-level settings pages in the web portal. This includes settings for Meeting Summary, AI Companion questions, Team Chat Compose and Summary, and Email Compose, but excludes Smart Recording, as that is still included in cloud recording settings. Future AI Companion features will also plan to have their settings located in this new AI Companion tab.
• Greater admin control of which participants can interact with AI Companion - The web settings for AI Companion questions in meetings will also allow admins to control who in the meeting can ask AI Companion questions about the current meeting, if active in the current meeting. Admins can restrict AI Companion access to only the host, all participants from the point they join (meaning they cannot ask questions about topics from before they joined), and all participants for the entire time the AI Companion is active. These additional options under the AI Companion setting are available at the account, group, and user levels. If this is unlocked, hosts can also control this access during the live meeting.
• Greater host control of which participants can interact with AI Companion - The web settings for AI Companion questions in meetings will also allow hosts to control who in the meeting can ask AI Companion questions about the current meeting, if active in the current meeting. The host can restrict AI Companion access to only themselves, all participants from the point they join (meaning they cannot ask questions about topics from before they joined), and all participants for the entire time the AI Companion is active. If this is unlocked, hosts can also control this access during the live meeting.

• Additional availability of Meeting Summary and Thread Summary AI Companion features - The AI Companion Meeting Summary and Team Chat Thread Summary features are now available for accounts with BAAs in place. These features remain disabled by default and may be enabled by account admins.

Zoom Rooms Updates

• Support for AI Companion Smart Meeting Summary (Win, Mac, Appliances, ZP Appliances, iPad zr, iOS zrc, Android zrc, Win zrc, Web zrc) - Hosts can initiate an AI generated summarization for the current meeting directly from a Zoom Room. Hosts will be prompted to enter an email address on the Zoom Room that the summary can be sent to. The ability to receive the meeting summary can be restricted to the host alone, the host along with users on their same account, or extended to all attendees of the meeting, including invitees outside of their organization. All meeting participants will be notified that the summary is being generated, and the meeting host can stop the summary at any time, if necessary.
• Ask AI Companion questions about the meeting (Win, Mac, Appliances, ZP Appliances, iPad zr, iOS zrc, Android zrc, Win zrc, Web zrc) - Zoom’s AI Companion transcribes and analyzes the verbal discussions in Zoom Meetings, allowing participants to ask the AI Companion questions about the meeting content that has been discussed and receive a response based on the meeting analysis thus far. Admins can choose to have this option remain visible in the meeting toolbar, even when the feature is disabled in web settings. Meeting hosts can start and stop AI Companion from a Zoom Room for other participants. Participants in the Zoom Room itself cannot ask AI companion questions.

Zoom Revenue Accelerator Updates

• Access Email Compose from the Conversations page - Users can access the Zoom Revenue Accelerator Email Smart Compose directly from the Conversation detail page, making it easier to create follow-up emails after calls. This feature includes suggested content, topics, and recipients, leveraging third-party AI models, to assist in writing messages based on context from the associated conversation. Previously, Email Smart Compose was only available from the Deals page.

Zoom Whiteboard Updates

• Whiteboard Content Generation with AI Companion - Users can leverage Zoom AI Companion with Whiteboard to unlock visual ideation for an improved Whiteboard experience. Users can generate ideas, refine and extend existing content, and add objects to a canvas with just a click.

[Bri]

Excited about the updates to AI Companion! Thanks for sharing this @allieblum 😍