February-March developments
Each month, online platforms introduce innovative features designed to optimise workflows and elevate user experience, consistently expanding the scope of digital capabilities. These enhancements refine the efficiency and intuitiveness of tools, driving productivity forward.
In March, Microsoft Teams unveils noteworthy updates to enrich its functionality. The Intelligent Recap feature now extends to town halls and webinars, mirroring the summary tools available for standard meetings. This allows event organisers, co-hosts, and presenters to efficiently review recordings by speaker or topic, complemented by AI-generated notes, tasks, and name mentions. Additionally, meeting participants can now share summaries directly from the chat thumbnail or summary card, simplifying the process of distributing key takeaways across teams.
Further refinements include the ability to integrate agents and bots into individual and group chats on Windows, Mac, and web platforms via @mentions, enhancing real-time assistance. Channel messaging also gains flexibility with the option to schedule posts for specific dates and times, accommodating diverse time zones and improving communication precision.
In this new update, Google Meet enhances the creation of custom backgrounds with two important improvements. A new, improved image generation model now delivers higher quality, more visually appealing backgrounds that are better tailored to user preferences.
This month, Google Meet introduces an upgrade to the Take Notes for Me feature, making meeting summaries even more precise and actionable. Notes will include timestamped quotes that link directly to the corresponding moments in the meeting transcript.
Zoom has unveiled a series of updates designed to streamline meeting entry, enhance access to recordings, and improve post-meeting content management. The enhanced meeting preview dialogue now offers a comprehensive overview of selected audio and video sources, a system’s default audio configuration, and an option to adjust usernames, ensuring a seamless setup process prior to joining. Additionally, participants can now request recording access directly through the meeting card or link, eliminating the need for separate correspondence. Hosts are notified via in-product alerts and emails, enabling efficient permission management. Upon meeting conclusion, a contextual post-meeting pop-up directs users to a dedicated details page, providing immediate access to critical assets—including recordings, summaries, chat transcripts, whiteboards, shared links, and notes—optimising workflow and content organisation.
Are you planning an online meeting or event and need urgent advice?
Our ConfTech Help desk provides countries and organisations with immediate advice on how to organise and run online meetings and events. Get in touch with us at conftech@diplomacy.edu.
Stay up to date!
Subscribe to ConfTech Monthly Digest to receive updates and trends on the future of meetings.
The latest from Diplo and GIP
Tailor your subscription to your interests, from updates on the dynamic world of digital diplomacy to the latest trends in AI.
Subscribe to more Diplo and Geneva Internet Platform newsletters!
Diplo: Effective and inclusive diplomacy
Diplo is a non-profit foundation established by the governments of Malta and Switzerland. Diplo works to increase the role of small and developing states, and to improve global governance and international policy development.
