News & Trends

Google, OpenAI Expand Conferencing Technology

The conferencing and collaboration space grew by leaps and bounds three years ago, and the technologies powering it continue to advance in their scope and simplicity for users. This is no better demonstrated by announcements this week from two companies - Google and OpenAI.

Google Meet Introduces Companion Mode for Mobile Devices

The latest update to Google Meet on mobile is set to bring remote workers and teams closer together. With the launch of the "Companion Mode" second screen tool on the Meet app for Android and iOS, users now have a quick, lightweight way to join meetings without needing a laptop.

What is Companion Mode?

Companion Mode, already available on the web version of Google Meet and the Nest Hub Max device, offers a range of features for mobile users. These include sharing emoji reactions, raising hands to speak, enabling captions, sending chat messages, and zooming in on presented content.

Seamless Connection for Remote Teams

Google describes Companion Mode as a tool designed to connect remote team members with those in meeting rooms seamlessly. This allows everyone to access interactive features while leveraging the best audio and video conferencing capabilities.

Benefits of Companion Mode

Companion Mode is handy for meetings in limited spaces, such as crowded meeting rooms, or as a discreet way to join large in-person gatherings like all-hands or town halls.

Availability

The update is available to all Google Workspace customers, including Google Workspace Individual customers and users with personal Google accounts. It will be enabled by default.

OpenAI Introduces Memory Feature for ChatGPT: What You Need to Know

OpenAI has recently announced a new "memory" feature for its AI chatbot, ChatGPT. This new functionality will enable the bot to remember information about users and their conversations over time. Users can explicitly tell ChatGPT to remember something, inquire about what it remembers, and instruct it to forget information conversationally or through settings.

According to a statement from OpenAI, the new memory feature is currently being tested with a small portion of ChatGPT free and Plus users to gauge its usefulness. The company also plans to roll out this feature more broadly in the near future. As users engage with ChatGPT and utilize the memory feature, they can expect improvements in memory recall over time.

It's important to note that users can turn off the memory feature at any time. When memory is turned off, ChatGPT will not create or utilize memories. Users can also delete specific memories or clear them through settings if they choose to do so. If users prefer to have a conversation without memory, they can utilize temporary chat. Temporary chats will not be saved in the chat history, will not use memory, and will not be used to train the AI models.

Each GPT model will have its distinct memory. Builders will have the option to enable memory for their specific GPTs. It is also important to note that memories are not shared with builders and to interact with a memory-enabled GPT, users will need to have memory turned on.

Introducing the memory feature for ChatGPT brings a new level of functionality and personalization to AI chat interactions. ChatGPT will provide users with a more tailored and personalized experience with the ability to remember conversations and user input.