Google announces AI-powered virtual meeting system

The coronavirus epidemic has brought virtually nothing but misery, pain, fear, and upheaval. Although we may still be far from the day when we can close the book on this scourge, we are now slowly making our way toward what seems like a long-lost sense of normalcy. Sports are resuming, schools are cautiously reopening, diners are returning to their favorite restaurants.

And the typical corporate office is moving toward pre-quarantine routines. But for many of these offices, there is an important difference: conference rooms are becoming increasingly virtual.

Zoom took an early initiative as the tool of choice for digital meeting adopters. More than half of the Fortune 500 companies used Zoom just before the pandemic measures, and in early 2020, the numbers spiked when 300 million meeting participants signed up for the video service.

But competition from Zoom’s biggest competitor, Google, has been fierce. In mid-spring this year, Google reported adding 3 million users to its Google Meet teleconferencing tool per day, a 50 percent increase from the beginning of March.

On Tuesday, Google unveiled a suite of video conferencing hardware that brings artificial intelligence into the game and promises to make conducting virtual meetings virtually effortless.

Google Meet Series One is an all-in-one package that includes a high-resolution smart camera; an audio bar with eight built-in microphones, woofer and tweeter, and a sleek touchscreen controller that promises to make the cluttered family group of cable connections obsolete.

Users can choose between two smart cameras, one with a 20.3 megapixel lens and 4.3x optical zoom, and a simpler one for smaller meetings with a 12 megapixel lens. Both cameras offer a resolution of 4k.

Smart cameras automatically frame all participants as they speak. A one-touch button option allows users to fill their frame with a single speaker, or two or three speakers seated together on the table. The camera automatically zooms out when more people are seated.

Google said the cameras recognize the number of people in a room “based on physical bodies and other attributes and sound” and can monitor attendance and, if necessary, “help monitor room utilization and maintain protocols. of security”. Social distancing, for example, can be controlled.

The beamforming microphones that accompany the soundbar use artificial intelligence to keep voices crisp and clear, according to Google. With AI employing 44 simultaneous sound channels, common distractions such as typing, the crunching of snack wrappers, animal barking, and hiccups, coughs, and other body sounds need to be eliminated or greatly reduced.

Google Assistant, the free accessory, enables voice commands to start and end meetings and adjust voice and camera settings.

The system uses PoE (Power-over-Ethernet), which means that power and Internet connection are provided through a single cable.

The system is not designed for home use, unless your personal budget can accommodate a few large ones. The smaller Google Meet Series One system, which bypasses the meeting controller and microphone, costs $ 2,699. A complete set with camera, soundbar, microphone, and controller costs $ 300 more. The top-of-the-line version, which comes with an additional soundbar, two microphone capsules, and the 20.3-megapixel camera, is recommended for large rooms. It costs $ 3,999.

“We understand very well that the office is changing,” said TJ Varghese, Google Product Manager. “Traditional conference rooms need to be reconfigured.”

Series One systems are not yet available. Google says they will be on the market “soon.”

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