Enhanced AI and new features coming to Zoom

An updated version of Zoom will provide the Rutgers community with an enhanced AI assistant, increased Zoom Room capabilities, and a variety of other new or upgraded features. Rutgers will update to the latest version of Zoom on the evening of Thursday, January 9.

One of the main updates that users can anticipate will be improvements made to the AI personal assistant, AI Companion 2.0. This version will provide several updated features:

• Generate next steps: Individuals will be able to create next steps from meeting summaries, which the AI Companion can automatically turn into “Zoom Tasks.”
• Get caught up: Users can catch up on what was discussed in previous meetings, with the ability to ask the AI Companion questions like, “What was the compiled feedback shared by the team?”
• After meetings: Users can continue to ask questions about meeting contents or refer back to conversations that took place during the meeting with the AI Companion.
• Source citations: Individuals can view where the information is coming from when AI Companion is used to generate a response.

These features will now be available for users on the Zoom Workplace mobile app both when in a meeting and out of a meeting.

Here are some other interesting updates to expect:

• Custom avatars: Individuals will be able to create custom avatars for Zoom Clips, a tool that allows users to record and share short-form video messages, by using a personalized AI-generated avatar to create clips from a transcript.
• AI virtual backgrounds: Users can utilize the AI Companion to generate custom virtual backgrounds based on simple text prompts.
• Transparency controls: Individuals can easily enable and disable the AI Companion at any time on a meeting-by-meeting, user-by-user basis.
• Muted audio notification: Users will receive a consistent reminder across the Zoom Workplace desktop and mobile app when they are speaking while muted during a meeting.
• Improved pairing: Windows desktop users will be able to easily pair their Zoom Workplace desktop app to a nearby Zoom Room using proximity detection via their built-in microphone.
• Seamless transferring: Users with an ongoing meeting on their device who pair with a Zoom Room are prompted with options to transfer the meeting to the Zoom Room.

Rutgers Zoom accounts are free to the university community. A list of benefits and features, instructions on how to download, help and support documentation, and information about securing your Zoom accounts are available the Rutgers Zoom website.

Learn more about this new version of Zoom and the features it offers by reviewing the full patch notes on the Zoom support webpage. Additionally, for more information on using Zoom’s AI Companion, please view this Rutgers IT knowledgebase article.