Otter.ai announced the introduction of the Otter Chat feature, an AI-powered chatbot that can participate in online meetings, summarize information, and recall important details such as dates or figures. The feature will be available to all Otter users at no extra cost, with limitations on free accounts and no restrictions for premium accounts.

Otter Chat can be utilized during live meetings on platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, or on previously recorded and transcribed conversations. It can answer questions, generate content like to-do lists based on the meeting's discussion, and draft emails summarizing action items. The feature allows team members to collaborate and request information without disrupting the main conversation. The primary advantage of Otter Chat is its ability to provide on-demand answers during the call itself, eliminating the need to wait until the meeting concludes.

Otter AI Chat, although inspired by ChatGPT, is powered by proprietary AI technology developed by Otter's team, not OpenAI. The company has trained its model on over a billion transcribed meetings, ensuring user confidentiality throughout the process. The model's training on real human speech patterns enables Otter AI Chat to respond more human-likely, improving the usefulness and engagement of the information it provides.

Analyst QuickTake: Otters launch follows AI features being implemented in flagship meeting platforms. In February 2023 , Microsoft Teams introduced Microsoft Teams Premium, which utilizes OpenAI's GPT 3.5 large language model for intelligent note recaps and task generation. Similarly, Zoom launched Zoom IQ in June 2023 , offering features like meeting note summaries and AI-assisted message composition.