Otter has introduced a Work mode for its AI Chat assistant, expanding automation of tasks before and after meetings. The update is part of the company’s strategy to shift from transcription to workflow automation, following a $320 million funding round last week. Work mode, announced Tuesday, appears alongside the Chat option in the AI prompt box and targets multi-step actions requiring human approval, with the AI assistant ensuring oversight before finalizing any generated content or updates to connected platforms.
Expanded Automation Capabilities
Work mode enables users to generate pre-meeting briefing documents using data from prior calls and connected apps. After meetings, the AI can draft emails, create documents in Word, Notion, PDF, and interactive web formats, and update Salesforce records. These functions build on AI Chat’s existing Advanced mode, with Express and Advanced options now being removed from the interface. The AI assistant actively requires human approval before completing tasks, ensuring users maintain control over generated outputs.
The feature is immediately available to all paid Otter users with no usage limits, unlike Chat mode which restricts queries based on subscription tiers. Live Assist, offering real-time call guidance, is now accessible to enterprise customers and will expand to all paid accounts soon.
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Industry Trends and Competition
Meeting note-taking is evolving toward workflow automation, according to Irwin Lazar of Metrigy, who notes vendors are making notes actionable through cross-platform context. Similar tools include Microsoft’s Teams facilitator and Cisco’s Webex meeting agent. A Metrigy study found 91% of business users want note-takers to access external context.
Live Assist, announced in April, provides private guidance during calls, such as suggesting questions and tracking meeting objectives. Randall notes that while this kind of widget is common in external-facing customer support roles, its application in internal productivity meetings is distinctive. However, he cautions that Otter faces increasing competition from other meeting software vendors integrating AI capabilities, and while its new functionality enhances the experience for existing users, it is unlikely to become a central work platform.
