Microsoft Teams is launching Facilitator, a new AI-powered tool that should help you better manage calls and fill in any knowledge gaps that arise during a meeting.
However, to do this, you will have to enable the tool so that it listens and watches all your meetings - only then will it know when exactly to intervene and put in its "five cents".
Microsoft Teams is launching Facilitator, a new AI-powered tool that should help you better manage calls and fill in any knowledge gaps that arise during a meeting.
However, to do this, you will have to enable the tool so that it listens and watches all your meetings - only then will it know when exactly to intervene and put in its "five cents".
This has already caused some observers to worry about the privacy and security of the tool, but Microsoft says that this feature will be disabled by default, meaning users will have to enable it manually, writes TechRadar.
“We’re introducing a new Microsoft Teams Facilitator feature that proactively identifies and addresses knowledge gaps during meetings. Facilitator can recognize when participants ask questions or express concerns, and find and send relevant answers using web search directly into the meeting chat,” the company notes.
The Facilitator can monitor the agenda specified in the meeting invitation to help everyone stay on track by displaying the information in the sidebar.
The Facilitator can also start a timer to keep participants focused on key agenda items—this timer can be extended, paused, or reset as needed.
Additionally, anyone who is late for a call can ask the tool to provide a brief summary of what has already been discussed or quickly find the information they need.
It can also create a document based on a specific topic discussed during a call, helping to kickstart a new project or kickstart a brainstorming session, and it also helps manage assigned tasks by saving details in the Notes app.
For those on the go or on the go, Facilitator can instantly capture, transcribe, and organize notes from in-person (offline) meetings directly from your mobile device, distinguishing speakers and creating summaries with a list of follow-up actions.
After the call ends, the Facilitator can also review all the content they created during the meeting, which can then be accessed in a separate summary menu and shared with participants.
Facilitator is currently in public preview for a limited number of customers. The company added that adding Facilitator to a meeting or enabling it during a call will require a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. However, any meeting participant (excluding external users) will be able to see all updates in chat and Notes in real time.
