Ever since chatGPT hit the news in early 2023 we’ve been waiting for Microsoft to release their much-touted AI functions in M365 – known as Microsoft 365 Copilot. While Enterprise organisations have been able to access Copilot for some months, SMEs have yet to be able to access these advanced tools. But that has now changed with Microsoft very quietly releasing Microsoft Teams Premium earlier this month.
Microsoft Teams Premium revolutionises notetaking and follow-up actions in both internal and external Teams meetings. Meetings are integral to our professional lives but can often leave us overwhelmed with notes, or even without any tangible documentation. The AI recap feature in Teams Premium addresses this challenge by automatically generating meeting summaries. This captures key points and follow-up actions, thus saving significant time and effort.
Before exploring the AI recap’s mechanics, it’s crucial to understand that this feature is an early access version of Microsoft 365 Co-Pilot for Teams. While it doesn’t yet offer all the features of Copilot’s Teams integration, it’s an exciting start for businesses eager to adopt AI-enhanced meetings. The features we are most excited about are:
- Automatic Transcription: During meetings, Teams Premium transcribes conversations in real-time, ensuring every word is captured.
- Smart Summaries: Post-meeting, the AI analyses the transcript, distilling it into key points and action items.
- Chapters and Quick Jumps: The AI organises the meeting into chapters with quick jump links for easy navigation through discussion points.
This tool does have some limitations however including:
- Speech Recognition Challenges: The AI can struggle with diverse accents, including the NZ accent, potentially leading to transcript inaccuracies.
- Contextual Understanding: The AI’s ability to grasp the full context or subtleties of conversations may be limited, risking loss of important nuances.
- Limitation to Scheduled Meetings: Currently, the AI recap feature is best suited for pre-scheduled meetings, not spontaneous calls or informal discussions.
- Technical Constraints: Effective functioning of the system depends on Teams permissions. Restrictions on recording or enabling transcriptions will impede the AI Recap’s functionality.
Despite some challenges we think that for those organisations who have high volumes of internal and external Teams meetings will be surprised at the effectiveness of the new technology and the efficiencies it will bring.
Accessing this AI recap feature requires a Teams Premium license, priced at approx NZ $13.56 per user on a monthly commitment, paid month, basis. With no minimum license quantity or term.
We are excited about the transformative potential of Teams Premium’s AI recap feature. As this tool continues to evolve, we believe it will become indispensable in business communications and significantly improve meeting management and efficiency. Our team is dedicated to staying updated with these developments and guiding our clients to integrate and maximise the benefits of this innovative technology. If you’re keen for a demonstration of Teams Premium, please don’t hesitate to contact us.