Google Meet introduces automatic AI-powered meeting recording and transcription options

Generative AI has been getting more and more useful, and as the tech progresses, many apps and services are integrating it to make your life easier. One such update now comes to Google Meet, which is getting some helpful features, including the ability to record (and even transcribe) video calls automatically.

If you've ever had a scenario where you forget to activate a recording but you really needed it, you'll most likely be happy to learn about this new feature. Before this update, Google Meet wasn't the best video-calling platform for people who forget to hit the record button.

Now, Google is bringing three new options to Meet. One of them takes advantage of generative AI for people with supported Gemini add-ons. First off, we have a new "Automatic recording" available. It is located under Apps, then Google Workspace, then Google Meet: there you find the Automatic recording option under "Meet video settings".

The feature is pretty straightforward. It allows you to automatically record meetings you couldn't attend and review them later as well. Of course, if you're concerned about privacy, Google Meet allows any participant to disable automatic recording.

But that's not all. Google is also introducing an "Automatic transcription" feature, which generates a text transcript of everything meeting participants are talking about during the meeting. This is quite useful to ensure you didn't miss any important details that were mentioned on the video call.

Of course, any participant can also disable the "Automatic transcription" meeting if they are concerned about privacy. This option is in the same menu as the Automatic recording one, again in "Meet video settings".

In case you don't know, Google Workspace offers different Gemini add-ons with different AI-powered capabilities. Some of these add-ons add the ability to enable automatic generation of video meeting notes in summary. This helps you check all the important info at a glance.

The third feature that Google Meet is getting is the possibility to set Gemini to take notes automatically (if you have the add-on). These features should already be available in Meet, but if you have an organizational account, you may need to wait for the administrator to enable them.

I personally find these options very useful, as I tend to go on a cleaning spree around the house during some of the longer meetings. It is actually great to be able to review the info just in case I get too distracted (although I do pay attention, usually).