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Using the New AI-Powered Google Meet Note Companion
If you’ve been on the hunt for the perfect Google Meet note companion for a while now, you’re in luck. After initially experimenting with AI summarization tools for Meet conferences with its “Duet AI” solution, Google left us all confused with the overhaul and rebranding of its AI solutions.
Duet AI disappeared to be replaced with “Gemini”, a more powerful generative AI companion powered by Google’s new family of proprietary foundation models. However, Gemini isn’t rolling out to all of Google’s Workspace apps at once, and its features are emerging somewhat slowly.
The New Google Meet Note Companion: Take Notes for Me
If you've been looking for a reliable note-taking companion for your Google Meet sessions, Google has some great news for you. Introducing the new "Take Notes for Me" feature, powered by Gemini AI, which will gradually enhance your meeting experience.
For instance, until now, Gemini in Google Meet has only been able to do a handful of things, like translate captions or enhance your video quality. This left a lot of people relying on third-party tools for meeting summarization and note-taking.
Fortunately, Google has now announced a new Gemini feature “Take Notes for Me”, that will be gradually rolling out to Workspace users, starting with users on Workspace Labs.
Key Features
The new Google Meet Note Companion, otherwise known as “Take Notes for Me”, is a Gemini-powered feature for Google Meet. It allows users to leverage artificial intelligence to automatically capture meeting notes. Plus, it can identify and create action items for meeting attendees, give latecomers a catch-up with a “summary so far”, and share summaries after a call.
This new feature builds on a variety of Gemini-powered capabilities introduced to Meet in the last year or so. Already, Gemini in Meet allowed users to improve video quality with “Studio Look”, and studio lighting or sound adjustments.
Introduction and Availability
Google says its new Google Meet note companion will allow users to “drop the pen” and pay more attention to the conversations they’re having – just like most top meeting summary tools.
According to a blog post from Google, the Google Meet Note companion will be available to users with a Gemini Enterprise, Gemini Education Premium, or AI Meetings and Messaging add-on.
Licensing and Additional Features
The new “Take Notes for Me” feature was actually recently introduced in preview in April 2024, when Google announced the arrival of the AI Meetings and Messaging add-on, available for $10 per user, per month. Users now need this add-on, or a compatible Google Gemini plan, to access both the Note companion, and Google’s “Translate for me” feature, also powered by Gemini.
Access and Usage
Although Take Notes for Me is available to preview, you can currently only access it if you’re using Google Workspace Labs – the tester program Google offers to allow users to test out new AI features.
Once Google starts introducing the feature to all Workspace users, you won’t need access to the Workspace Labs system – just the right license. Google hasn’t revealed an official general release date yet, but some analysts say that the option to enable the note companion should start to appear for eligible users by the end of August 2024.
Limitations and Future Enhancements
Before you use the Google Meet Note Companion, it’s worth noting that there are some limitations right now. If you have the right licenses, Google Workspace Lab admins can choose whether they want to let their team members experiment with the feature, buy enabling it in the Host Management section of Google Workspace.
You can head to the Google Workspace admin dashboard, click Google Meet and select Gemini, to search for the new feature. However, even after the feature is enabled, only meeting hosts will be able to turn the feature on or off, and they’ll only be able to use it on a laptop or computer (for now).
Usage Instructions
Additionally, hosts can enable the Google Meet Note Companion to start working automatically when a meeting begins, just like switching on automatic recording. When you’re creating a meeting, just click the “Video Call Options” button, and select Meeting Records then choose Take Notes with Gemini.
The note-taking feature will start working as soon as a host or co-host joins a meeting, and notes and recordings will automatically be shared with hosts and co-hosts.
Conclusion
The Google Meet Note Companion is still a new feature, and Google is actively collecting feedback to improve its performance.
For the time being, while Google Gemini for Workspace is still being tested and improved, you might encounter a few occasional issues. The “Take Notes for Me” button may be occasionally greyed out, meaning you can’t use it. Additionally, the meeting summary might be incomplete or inaccurate in places. Google says the common reasons for this include:
- Network connectivity issues
- Software glitches
- Usage errors
According to Google’s troubleshooting page, you can try reloading your browser if you’re struggling to generate a meeting summary in Google Docs.
Automated note-takers and AI meeting assistants are nothing new. However, Google has fallen behind the competition slightly by failing to offer its own built-in generative AI note-taking tool in Meet.
The addition of this new Google Meet Note Companion will ensure companies don’t have to rely on third-party apps to keep track of important conversations. This means Google can once again compete effectively with rivals like Microsoft and Zoom.
FAQs
Can AI take notes during Google Meet?
Google Meet’s new “Take Notes for Me” feature is now rolling out to Google Workspace Labs users, and companies with specific Google AI licenses. The feature, powered by Gemini, can take notes during meetings, create action items, and summarize conversations.
What is Google Meet Companion Mode?
Google Meet companion mode allows users to join a video meeting on a second screen, and keep their microphone and video turned off to avoid any feedback. This is a popular option for team members in a shared office or meeting space that want to use Google Meet without disrupting the conversation.
Does Google Meet have a note-taking feature
Yes, Google Meet now has an AI-powered note-taking feature, which leverages Google Gemini to take notes and summarize conversations during meetings. You can access this feature with a plan such as the AI Meetings and Messaging Add-on plan, for $10 per month.
