Zoom recently hosted their very first user conference, called "Zoomtopia", where they shared some of the latest ways they've been able to enhance their already popular meeting software.
In the coming months, Zoom will be integrating with a range of popular applications for workflow and collaboration, including Workplace by Facebook, and Slack. Although Zoom has worked alongside Slack in the past, the collaboration this time around is set to be much tighter, with customers simply typing "/zoom" into their chat boxes to invite users into meetings.
Of course, integration isn't necessarily the most exciting update to come from Zoomtopia this year. The features that most people are focusing on are those that have allowed Zoom to bring augmented reality and AI-powered transcripts to the meeting space.
Conferencing and Augmented Reality
While the Zoom augmented reality isn't as advanced as it could be yet, it does mark the company's first step into bringing AR features to the meeting room. According to Eric Yuan, the CEO for Zoom, the AR services will be a solution specifically for enhanced online teaching. However, teachers will need to be wearing an AR helmet, and the only compatible option available today comes from Meta.
Regardless, with the Zoom AR features, students should be able to see exactly what their teacher is seeing in an AR world. This means that a teacher could walk around a representation of a geographical map, and give insights that students can follow through the Zoom platform, without the need for any additional special equipment.
Zoom and Artificial Intelligence
Zoom also announced their decision to dive into the possibilities of artificial intelligence, with the delivery of newly automated transcripts for meeting room spaces. These intelligent transcripts will reduce the need for note-taking in conference spaces, and create searchable platforms of information. The feature is called "Smart Meetings", and it's intended to minimise the amount of time wasted sharing and taking notes during calls.
