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Overview

Zoom's AI Companion introduces a range of features designed to boost productivity and accessibility in meetings and communications. These features are not automatically enabled on Stanford Zoom clients. To enable them, visit the Stanford Zoom web portal and follow the linked instructions under each feature listed below.

The university approves the use of Zoom AI Companion but advises against third-party bots due to privacy and data security concerns. For more information, refer to Stanford’s Responsible AI guide.

Meeting Summary

Meeting Summary offers a convenient way for meeting hosts to create and share AI-generated summaries of their meetings. After the meeting, participants can automatically receive the summary if the host shares it. Hosts can manage these summaries through the web portal, with summaries sent via email and posted in the meeting's group chat, providing a quick and organized way to review key points.

Note: This feature is only available with version 5.14.2 or later (how to check version).

How to enable Meeting Summary » How to use Meeting Summary »

Ask in-meeting questions

Asking in-meeting questions allows participants to ask questions during meetings to clarify what’s been said. You can choose from preset questions like "Catch me up", "Was my name mentioned?", and "What are the action items?" or create custom ones.

Learn more »

Smart Recording

Smart Recording efficiently organizes cloud recordings into smart chapters, provides key takeaways through recording highlights, and identifies actionable next steps. It also offers hosts analytics on meeting dynamics, making it a time-saving and productive tool, especially for lengthy sessions like lectures or company-wide meetings.

Note: This feature is only available with version 5.16.5 or later (how to check version).

How to enable Smart Recording » How to use Smart Recording »

Automatic Captions

Zoom offers multiple ways to add closed captioning to your meetings and webinars, making it easier for participants to follow along or to fulfill accessibility requirements. Participants can access these captions, which can be generated manually by the host or an assigned participant, provided by a third-party service, or automatically through Zoom's live transcription feature. In webinars, only the host or panelists can provide manual captions. These captioning options are also available in Zoom Rooms, ensuring everyone can view the subtitles.

How to enable Automatic Captions » How to manage Automatic Captions »

Audio Transcription for Cloud Recordings

Audio transcription automatically converts your recorded meetings or webinars into text, available as a separate VTT file. You can display the transcript within the video, edit it for accuracy, and manage viewer access when sharing. The transcript includes timestamps and supports multiple languages. Additionally, you can enable automated captions for real-time text during meetings.

How to enable audio transcription for cloud recordings » How to use audio transcription for cloud recordings »

Team Chat AI Compose and Thread Summary

Team Chat Thread Summary uses AI to condense and summarize chat threads. You can also have the AI Companion draft chat messages for you, tailoring the tone and length to fit the conversation. Access the Thread Summary feature through the message options menu.

Note: This feature is automatically enabled on Stanford Zoom clients.

How to use Thread Summary for Team Chat » How to use Team Chat Compose with AI Companion »

Safety and Security Best Practices

  • As a general best practice, hosts should inform attendees at the beginning of the meeting if they intend to use AI Companion, just as they do when meetings are recorded.
  • While these genAI tools are helpful, they may not be perfect. It’s a good idea to review and edit meeting summaries and recordings for accuracy before sharing them with others, especially when information is sensitive.
  • As with any form of communication, always exercise caution when handling sensitive data. Visit Stanford’s Responsible AI guide to learn more.
  • While Zoom AI Companion is approved, the university recommends avoiding the use of third-party bots in meetings due to privacy and data security issues.
  • Zoom has indicated that it does not use your audio, video, chat, screen sharing, or any other communication content (e.g., poll results, whiteboard, and reactions) to train Zoom’s or its third-party AI models. Rview Zoom’s terms of service and practices apply to AI features to learn more.

AI Companion Tips and Tricks

Get the most out of the AI Companion with these tips and tricks shared by Zoom employees.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Are Zoom's AI Companion features automatically enabled in my Stanford Zoom account?

A. AI Companion features are turned off by default, but you can easily enable the features you want to try in your Stanford Zoom account settings. Detailed instructions on how to do this can be found through the provided link under each feature description above.

Q. How does Zoom prioritize the privacy and security of user data when using AI features?

A. Zoom has indicated that it does not use your audio, video, chat, screen sharing, or any other communication content to train its AI models. It's recommended to review Zoom's terms of service and practices regarding AI features. Visit How Zoom AI Companion features handle your data.

Q. Who can start or stop AI Companion through the in-meeting controls?

A. Only the meeting host can start or stop AI Companion.​

Q. Can meeting participants request to start the AI Companion for the current meeting?

A. If the host has AI Companion enabled for their meetings, any meeting participants can request that it be started for the current meeting. The host will be prompted to start or decline the request.

If the host does not have AI Companion enabled for their meetings, the host, co-hosts, and any participants can request that it be enabled. If no one in the meeting has the necessary admin permissions, admins will be sent the request as an email from Zoom.

Q. What happens if I join a meeting with AI Companion features in use?

A. If you join a meeting with AI Companion features in use, you’ll see a prompt letting you know AI is in use and giving you the choice to either leave the meeting or click “OK” to join.

Q. How will I know if AI Companion is active during the meeting?

A. A glowing sparkle icon will display in the top-left corner of your window to indicate when AI Companion is active during the meeting.

Q. When can questions be answered while AI Companion is active in the meeting?

A. Questions can only be answered if the content was discussed while AI Companion is active in the current meeting.

Q. Is the AI Companion in-meeting questions feature supported in Breakout Rooms?

A. No. The AI Companion in-meeting questions feature is not supported in Breakout Rooms.

Q. Who can start or stop the meeting summary using the in-meeting controls

A. Only the meeting host and co-host can start or stop the meeting summary.
Note: Participants who join the meeting, as well as those already present, will receive a prompt notifying them that the meeting summary feature has been activated.

  • To start the meeting, click AI Campanion in the toolbar, then select Start summary.
      
  • To stop the meeting, click AI Campanion in the toolbar, then select Stop summary.
    ​
Q. When does meeting summarization begin?

A. Meeting summarization begins when the host clicks Start Summary, unless the host has enabled the web setting to automatically start Meeting Summary.

Q. How does AI Companion determine which pronouns to use when referring to a participant?

A. If the participant has set their pronouns in their Zoom profile, the AI Companion feature will use those pronouns when referring to them. If no pronouns are set, the pronouns chosen by the Large Language Model (LLM) will be used instead.

Q. Should Hosts notify participants when using Zoom's AI Companion?

A. As a best practice, Hosts should inform attendees at the beginning of the meeting if they intend to use AI Companion, just as they do when meetings are recorded.

Contact Us

If you have specific questions on any of these features or need further assistance, submit a request to the Stanford Zoom team.

Submit a Help request