
Howdy, Future of Workers. It’s nearly Friday, y’all. Hang in there. (You know, like those iconic cats in what I believe are now considered old-school memes… Dang, where’s the time gone?)
Speaking of time, let’s travel back for a moment; specifically, to March of 2023. Here on Future of Work News, I penned an article about Otter.ai that was quite a pun-dertaking, given my affection for paw-ful otter-related puns. (I won’t include so many this time around, as I recognize they aren’t everyone’s bag. And besides, I’m basically all otter good puns anyway.)
I digress.
Otter.ai is a California-based provider of speech-to-text transcription applications, AI/ML capabilities and automation, live recording functionalities and more. They’re trusted by the likes of Amazon, IBM, Walgreens, NBC, the UCLA and plenty of others.
Last year, we covered Otter.ai’s Otter Chrome Extension for Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. So when users join Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet sessions, OtterPilot (a.k.a. Otter.ai + autopilot; don’t look at me, that’s their own pun) automatically records meeting audio, transcribes notes, captures screen-shared slides, and instantly shares resources with all attendees. It also detects whether or not users are already scheduled for said meetings, and it generates a convenient post-meeting Automated Summary with user lists (as well as key points that were addressed by speakers).
“Virtual meetings, impromptu or not, are important,” Otter.ai CEO Sam Liang said at the time. “We are always innovating to make Otter experiences a seamless part of everyday workflows.”
Well, as mentioned, that was March of last year. How has Otter.ai’s offering been received since?
Quite well, as new data shows.
Late last week, Otter.ai announced its research findings regarding its AI meeting assistant and how much time folks say they’ve saved with it. 62% of professionals say they’ve reclaimed “four or more hours per week,” resulting in “over one month a year of total time saved” while tapping into Otter.ai.
Here’s a long-story-short list of this research’s findings:
- As mentioned, 62% of working professionals save four or more hours every week. 12% say they’ve saved 10+ total hours.
- Percentage breakdown-wise, these respondents went on to say these time-saving opportunities have been used to get more work done outside of meetings (82%), to spend more time on hobbies and with family and friends (40%; great for the work-life balance I’d wager nearly all of us seek), and to conduct additional meetings they otherwise wouldn’t have had time for (31%).
- Furthermore, 68% stated that they credit Otter.ai’s AI-generated meeting summaries, action items, and follow-up emails as the “biggest time-saving feature yet.”
“The time savings our users are reporting shows the power of AI to increase workplace productivity, " Sam Liang added. “Otter’s AI meeting assistant, which includes automated note-taking with integrated AI chat, is transforming how professionals communicate and share meeting information, empowering teams and entire organizations to reduce time spent on onerous manual tasks, making more room for strategic thinking and collaboration.”
Be part of this ongoing conversation about the future of work (and how both customer and employee experiences are changing) at Future of Work Expo 2025, taking place February 11-13, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This conference focuses on key elements of today's re-imagined workplace; not just for improving productivity, but also providing better experiences, through the intersection of technology like AI and the human element.
Edited by
Greg Tavarez