Tag Archives: Video conferences

AI in videoconferencing

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Video conferencing is a technology that enables people in different locations to conduct face-to-face meetings without the need for physical presence in a single location. It facilitates real-time audio and video communication among participants using a variety of devices, including computers, smartphones, and dedicated video conferencing systems. Video conferencing has gained significant popularity in recent years, particularly in business, education, and personal contexts.

Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a crucial role in enhancing the user experience and functionality of video conferencing platforms. As the demand for video conferencing continues to grow, the technology is evolving in productive ways. Here are some specific ways in which AI is integrated into video conferencing:

  • Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) and  language translation

AI-powered ASR technology transcribes spoken words into text in real-time. This feature helps in generating accurate meeting transcripts, making it easier to review discussions and ensuring accessibility for participants with hearing impairments. AI-driven language translation enables seamless communication among participants who speak different languages. AI algorithms can accurately translate spoken content from videos, making it a comprehensive solution for multilingual video content. 

  • Virtual Backgrounds and Filters

A virtual background charger is a relatively new feature of some of today’s video conferencing apps. It allows users to display an image or a video behind them during a video call. Artificial intelligence is employed to detect and replace backgrounds in real-time. This feature allows users to have professional or fun backgrounds without needing a physical green screen. AI also can personalize filters and backgrounds based on user preferences, style, or branding. It can learn user preferences over time and adjust the virtual elements accordingly. AI can be used for privacy protection by blurring or anonymizing background elements, ensuring sensitive information is not unintentionally revealed during video calls. AI can create dynamic and interactive virtual backgrounds that respond to user movements or input. For example, a background that changes with the user’s gestures or speech. Popular video conferencing platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams use AI-based background segmentation.

  • Noise Cancellation

AI algorithms can differentiate between background noise and human speech, helping to suppress unwanted sounds and improving audio quality during video calls. This is particularly useful in busy environments and loud locations.AI, especially machine learning algorithms, can learn and adapt to different types of noise. They can continuously improve the noise-cancelling performance by adjusting filter parameters in real-time. This means that over time, the noise cancellation becomes more efficient and can handle a wider range of noises.

  • Natural Language Processing (NLP)

Artificial Intelligence in Natural Language Processing is a subfield of AI that focuses on the interaction between computers and human language. NLP technologies aim to enable computers to understand, interpret, and generate human language in a way that is both meaningful and useful. NLP algorithms are used to analyze text data from chat messages, transcriptions, and voice interactions. This enables features such as chatbots, language translation, sentiment analysis, and summarization, making communication more efficient and productive. 

  • Facial Recognition

 Facial recognition is able to dynamically identify each participant in the meeting, recognize them equally on all involved devices and display unified information about them, adjusting it depending on the status of the conference. For instance, the details of the participant with the full name and position will be automatically displayed when communicating with government agencies. AI can recognize and track the faces of meeting participants, making it easier to identify speakers and maintain focus on active participants. Video conferences can be used in various types of meetings and events such as virtual business meetings and even academic events. Also in this sphere, we can point out the use of biometric security in auto schools, for example, in the practice of online classes, used to validate the legitimate participation of the student.  AI can enhance security by enabling facial recognition for user authentication and by detecting and alerting administrators to any suspicious activities during meetings.

  • Emotion Analysis

AI can analyze facial expressions and voice tones to gauge participants’ emotions, providing insights into their reactions..It could in fact be used to monitor the emotional attitude of the participants during group discussions or company meetings. This could help business leaders assess the organizational climate and take appropriate steps to improve meeting effectiveness. In the education sector, the application can be used to monitor student attention and engagement during online classes. Moreover, the application can be used in marketing or presentation video conferencing to evaluate the effectiveness of communication strategies and improve the audience experience.

  • Auto Framing and Tracking

Video meetings rely on participants staying in the frame of their cameras. And whether you’re presenting an idea to colleagues or teaching a class of students, any movements out of the center can disrupt the meeting. AI can detect and frame participants, ensuring they stay centered in the video feed. Some advanced systems can even track speakers as they move, providing a more dynamic and engaging experience. AI can adjust video layouts in real time to spotlight the active speaker, making it easier for participants to follow the conversation.

  • Meeting Scheduling and Management

AI-powered virtual assistants can help schedule and manage meetings. AI can suggest optimal meeting times based on participants’ availability, minimizing scheduling conflicts and streamlining the process. With AI video conferencing, online calendars are used to determine ideal meeting times for required participants. Communication processes are automated. If a meeting is postponed or rescheduled, changes are made intelligently and employees are notified automatically.

  • Automated Meeting Summaries

 In our busy work lives, missing a meeting here or there is inevitable. But that doesn’t mean you have to watch an entire recording or bother a colleague for their notes.  AI can summarize discussions and generate meeting minutes, saving time and improving documentation. Meeting summaries provide quick, summarized overviews of your meetings, with short and long versions, important keywords, and a list of participants who joined.

Conclusion:

Overall, AI’s role in video conferencing is constantly evolving, with ongoing advancements in the technology. These AI-driven features and enhancements aim to make video conferencing more efficient, secure, and user-friendly, providing a seamless and productive experience for participants.

Sources:

1 https://wavel.ai/solutions/ai-video-translator#:~:text=Is%20there%20an%20AI%2Dpowered,solution%20for%20multilingual%20video%20content.

2 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/revolutionizing-meetings-how-ai-automation-video-tools-chatterjee

3 https://www.morphcast.com/the-new-video-conference-with-attention-based-emotion-ai-application-born-in-may-2023/

4 https://www.banuba.com/blog/virtual-background-changer-what-it-is-and-how-it-works

5 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/face-recognition-telepresence-adding-analytics-video-grigory-ivanov

6 https://www.ringcentral.com/us/en/blog/ringcentral-mvp-meeting-ai/

7 Chat GPT 3.5

Image:

https://blog.vidyo.com/general-collaboration/future-of-work-how-ai-is-transforming-video-communication/

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Working in Virtual Reality

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The abrupt emergence of Covid19 in 2020 stimulated numerous changes within the organizations, the most crucial of which was the working mode. The restrictions of the lockdown, implemented by the governments, forced companies to switch to online operating and exactly that initiated an immense development of video-conference platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Nowadays, although coronavirus has almost evaporated and mostly all companies have returned to their offices, many organizations still continue to use video conference platforms for additional meetings, since they understood how convenient it is. But have you ever considered the possibility that there would not be any aim to meet in person at all? Have you ever thought that companies will be able to gather at meetings and feel the presence of each other sitting at home? 

On 12th October Zoom and Microsoft Teams announced their future partnership with Meta that will bring them to Virtual Reality workspaces. To go into more detail, in August 2021 Facebook launched the open beta of Horizon workrooms – an app, which offers a fully equipped virtual meeting space for organizations. The only thing that workers need apart from this application to delve into the world of virtual meetings is a special VR headset called Oculus Quest 2. For me, it was interesting how Meta came up with this idea. The answer was that with the implemented changes due to the coronavirus, companies were doomed to completely switch to the online mode. Disregarding the fact that video conference platforms were providing their users with a perfect possibility to stay connected, when it came to having work done, things got more complicated. Large organizations could not organize their meetings effectively, since they were facing the problems such as lack of concentration, absence of direct eye contact or possibility to feel one’s emotions, and even inability to differentiate between voices when a lot of people were talking as the sound was coming from a single source. Horizon Workrooms, on the contrary, is regarded by Meta to be the best way for organizations to adopt remote working mode. While being at home, workers could gather in virtual reality in the roles of avatars, that could properly execute their emotions and reactions thus imitating all the dynamics of group discussions without requiring participants to be present at the real office. The app creates a customized virtual workspace equipped with whiteboards and computers thus providing workers with the possibility to perform a lot of things in the VR mode such as transferring their working place, presenting something on the whiteboard, showing their emotions and stating their opinion, transmitting files from their desktop so that it will be visible for everyone and many more.

So, now the question is whether the collaboration of Meta with Zoom and Teams, which are the most ubiquitous and advanced remote work platforms so far, will bring about the positive development of our society as a working organism. There is a strong potential to transfer the offices of numerous companies to VR workspaces, but is it really worth it? 

Till that time Zoom and Teams were perceived as a great possibility to organize a meeting in case of any emergencies. Of course, some companies switched to online operating completely after the lockdown, but most companies preserved their offline mode. However, now, after the implementation of such technology as Horizon Workrooms, will people still see the sense of meeting in person? Undoubtedly, VR video conferencing in Zoom and Teams could considerably alleviate the lives of workers by providing them with more free time for their family, hobbies and personal interests. Moreover, pregnant women or disabled people will benefit from more convenient working conditions. But if we are considering the social skills and working capacity of our population, won’t they be under threat of being seriously affected? The launch of such technologies could make people addicted to working online resulting in their becoming less communicative, extravert and confident since their acquired skills and features could be aggravated. Moreover, the value of teamwork, mutual trust and support could be completely lost due to a lack of connection between employees in real life. In my opinion, the technology developed by Meta is truly amazing. A few years ago it was difficult even to imagine that people will have an opportunity to work in VR, so I believe, that this innovative technology will continue to evolve but it is crucial to highlight the importance of meetings in real-time, which should be an integral part of our lives.

Sources:

https://www.meta.com/pl/en/work/workrooms/

https://www.oculus.com/blog/future-of-work-meta-connect-2022-quest-pro-microsoft-accenture/

https://www.uctoday.com/unified-communications/teams-and-zoom-to-integrate-with-meta-vr-workrooms/

https://www.avinteractive.com/news/collaboration/microsoft-and-meta-partner-to-deliver-immersive-experiences-for-the-future-of-work-and-play-11-10-2022/

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