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Zoom AI Companion

Home/Zoom Guide/Zoom AI Companion
Zoom AI Companion 2024-09-24T15:30:51+00:00

Zoom

AI Companion Guide

Zoom’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Companion feature are now available on Highline Zoom accounts. AI Companion functionality can be activated by meeting hosts. It will not be automatically turned on unless the host chooses to turn it on.

Some basic information and links about the AI Companion are included below. If you have any other questions or concerns about the Zoom AI Companion feature, please contact the ITS Help Desk by email at helpdesk@highline.edu, telephone at 206-592-4357, or submit a ticket online.

Some of the new features include the ability to:

  • Process recording with highlights and chapters;
  • Summarize a chat thread;
  • Provide meeting summaries without the need to record the meeting;
  • Answer questions about a meeting in progress;
  • Provide a way to get caught up if you missed part of the meeting.

To utilize this functionality, the Zoom AI Companion:

  • Must be activated by each meeting host in their Zoom account (see directions below);
  • Needs to be turned on by the host for each meeting;
  • Will notify meeting attendees whenever the AI companion is enabled.

How to Activate Zoom AI Companion:

These features are off by default, and can be activated with the following steps:

  • Launch Zoom Portal at highline.zoom.us
  • Choose “Settings” from the left hand navigation
  • Select the “AI Companion” tab
  • Choose the features you would like to enable

Student Data and Privacy Concerns:

With respect to your privacy and data security, Zoom has shared that the AI companion does not use any of your audio, video, chat, screen-sharing, attachments, or other communications like customer content (such as poll results, whiteboard, and reactions) to train Zoom’s or third-party artificial intelligence models.

While we are confident in the assurances provided, we would like to remind employees to be cognizant of what data is shared while the AI Companion is in use. If you are helping students via Zoom and personal information such as life circumstances, class schedules, and other identifying information may be shared or discussed, do not turn on the AI Companion. The AI companion can expose that information to others who join that same Zoom room (note that if you shut down the Zoom room and restart it, then there is no risk).

Resources:

For more information about Zoom’s AI Companion, see Zoom’s Full Support Site for AI Companion.

It is important for you to check AI-generated content for accuracy and to follow Zoom’s Acceptable Use Guidelines when editing or directing generated content.

Background Information:

During summer of 2023, Zoom announced upcoming AI functionality for Zoom, and released their AI Companion in September 2023. During fall quarter, ITS and Educational Technology staff participated in conversations with Zoom. We reviewed the updated terms of service and obtained clarifications from Zoom about their use of data, specifically making sure they do not use our customer data in AI training. We are now comfortable that we have the proper assurances from Zoom about the security of the tool.

As AI tools become more prevalent, it is important to remember that personally identifiable or confidential college data should never be used in AI or any non-college approved tool. If you have questions about any software that you might like to utilize that was not provided to you by the college, please contact the helpdesk to start a discussion with us.

Questions?