Zoomtopia: Zoom Announces ‘Next-Generation’ AI Companion 2.0, ServiceNow and Zoom Combine GenAI Tech To Boost Work Efficiencies
This week at Zoomtopia, Zoom announced the 2.0 “next generation” version of its AI Companion productivity assistant.
The business pitches AI Companion 2.0 as an enhanced version of its AI personal assistant designed to help users manage their day and increase productivity. It will be available across Zoom Workplace in a convenient side panel, allowing users to keep up-to-date on essential conversations, synthesize information for faster and more informed decision-making, and take action efficiently.
Smita Hashim, Chief Product Officer at Zoom, said:
At Zoom, being an AI-first work platform means AI is at the heart of Zoom Workplace to support you throughout your day. Now, with the enhanced capabilities in AI Companion 2.0, users can get more done and focus on what’s most important. And, with the new custom add-on for AI Companion, organisations will have the ability to tailor AI Companion to their specific needs and workflows at an affordable price.”
The company has also announced a custom add-on for AI Companion. This add-on intends to provide a more customised and personalised experience specifically designed to meet the organisation’s unique needs.
In other Zoom news, AI Companion and ServiceNow’s NowAssist will be integrated in the first half of 2025.
The integration of these two generative AI technologies will offer businesses enhanced workflow automation across the Zoom and ServiceNow platforms. ServiceNow envisions this strategic partnership ushering in a “new era” of intelligence, boosting collaboration and productivity for organisations.
Both businesses stress the move solidifies the long-standing relationship between the two companies, which began in 2018 and has since flourished, particularly as Zoom rose to prominence as a leading video conferencing tool during the pandemic.
Miro Launches Innovation Workspace To Boost Collaboration & Productivity
Miro has launched its new Innovation Workspace project and workplace management solution to enhance collaboration and productivity.
Miro pitches Innovation Workspace as an AI-powered platform that offers a flexible solution for teams to move from idea to outcome more quickly. The company argues the solution fills a critical need: “an end-to-end solution that facilitates the entire innovation process, from discovery (brainstorming and research) to definition (roadmapping and prototyping) to delivery (execution)”.
More describes the Innovation Workspace as the business’s most significant product launch since 2012.
“The Innovation Workspace is the first platform designed specifically to help teams rapidly navigate the twists and turns between the phases of the process and embrace creativity as a necessary and valuable part of innovation,” said Andrey Khusid, Miro co-founder and CEO.
Miro says it’s committed to a canvas-first approach compared to other productivity apps, which might prioritise a document or task-first strategy. Miro highlights that the canvas is unique because it provides an inclusive and collaborative environment that supports smooth transitions between unstructured work, such as ideation, and structured work, such as diagramming, documentation, task tracking, and prototyping.
Barco Asserts ClickShare IP Rights Against Yealink In Unified Patent Court
Barco has asserted its ClickShare IP rights against Yealink in Europe’s Unified Patent Court, asking the court to prohibit Yealink from further making, selling, and distributing its wireless conferencing solutions.
Barco outlines that the Unified Patent Court (UPC) is a new specialist court that allows for the enforcement of a unitary patent across all its contracting member states.
Barco says the UPC legal proceedings are in addition to the patent infringement lawsuit filed against Yealink in the US in November 2023. The company stated that, as a result of this lawsuit, Yealink admitted to infringing on ClickShare’s intellectual property and subsequently withdrew its WPP30 Presentation Pod from the US market.
Kurt Verheggen, General Counsel at Barco, commented:
Over the years, we’ve built a solid reputation of vigorously defending our IP against companies copying our break-through technologies. With the creation of the UPC in 2023, we can now enforce a patent in its contracting member states and deter copy-cats with an effective legal remedy, just like in the US.”
Yealink challenged Barco’s US lawsuit last month, petitioning the United States Patent and Trademark Office to institute “inter partes” reviews of Barco’s patents related to wireless presentation technology.
Yealink says it “aims to protect fair competition in the industry”, arguing that Barco’s actions “compromises fair competition, and thwarts innovation, in the industry”.