Zoom’s new AI Companion records, transcribes, and even answers in-meeting questions for you.

Microsoft Copilot locks you into the Office ecosystem. ChatGPT forces you to copy, paste, and format everything by hand.

This article show what Zoom AI Companion can—and can’t—do for your calls.

Zoom AI Companion Features & Capabilities

Zoom AI Companion is a Zoom built-in feature that records the call, tracks who speaks, and surfaces insights the second the meeting ends.‍

In-meeting superpowers

• Live notes & running summary. The bot writes what’s being said in real time, so late joiners can catch up fast.
• Ask AI questions. Type “Catch me up” or “Were action items assigned?” and get an instant answer without interrupting the speaker.
• Multi-language support. Over 30 languages let global teams follow along in their own tongue.
• Tone insights. It flags when one voice dominates or energy dips, helping you balance the conversation.

Post-meeting intelligence

• Smart Recording. Cloud recordings break into Smart Chapters, so you jump to the topic you need.‍
• Highlights & next steps. AI pulls key takeaways and to-dos into a neat list you can paste anywhere.
• Speaker analytics. See talk-listen ratios, filler-word counts, and your longest monologue to coach yourself or your team.

Cross-product reach

Zoom AI Companion isn’t limited to video calls. It also:

• Drafts chat messages in Zoom Team Chat when you’re stuck for words.
• Answers queries inside Zoom Mail and Calendar through the AI Companion Panel.
• Joins Zoom Phone calls, generating live transcripts and on-hold summaries.

What’s coming next

Zoom is adding “agentic” skills that do the busywork for you:

• Schedule follow-up meetings automatically.
• Draft documents from the meeting transcript.
• Clip short highlight videos for quick sharing.

These updates roll out at no extra cost for Zoom Workplace users, so you keep levelling up without paying more.

How to Set Up Zoom AI Companion

Follow these steps and you’ll have live notes and smart summaries in your next call.

1. Check your eligibility

You need a paid Zoom Workplace plan. Pro, Business, and Enterprise tiers all include AI Companion at no extra cost.

If you’re on a free plan, you won’t see the AI toggles. Upgrade first, then continue.

2. Update your Zoom apps

Make sure your desktop and mobile clients are current. New AI features only appear in the latest versions.

Restart Zoom after the update so the new menus load correctly.

3. Sign in to the Zoom web portal

Open a browser and log in at zoom.us. All AI Companion controls live in the web portal, not the desktop app.

4. Enable AI Companion at the account level (admins)

1. Click Account Management › Account Settings.
2. Select the AI Companion tab.
3. Toggle AI Companion to On. Confirm in the pop-up dialog.
4. Optional: Click the lock icon to prevent groups or users from turning it off.

This switch unlocks every AI feature for all users on your account.

5. Turn on specific features

Inside the same tab you’ll see individual toggles:

• Meeting Summary
• Meeting Questions (“Ask AI”)
• AI Companion Panel in Zoom Workplace
• Smart Recording Chapters

Flip on only what you need now. You can return and refine later.‍

6. Enable AI Companion for yourself (hosts & users)

If your admin left features unlocked, you can manage them:

1. Go to Settings in the web portal.
2. Choose the AI Companion tab.
3. Toggle features you want for your own meetings, recordings, chat, and phone calls.

Changes save instantly. They apply the next time you start or join a call as host.

7. Auto-start options

Scroll down to Auto-start in meetings. Tick Meeting Summary or Meeting Questions if you always want AI to launch without a click.

This is ideal for high-volume interview days—you never forget to capture a session.

8. Test in a live meeting

1. Start a Zoom meeting.
2. Click AI Companion in the toolbar. A side panel opens.
3. Ask AI “Catch me up so far” or watch the live note stream.
4. End the call. Check your email or Zoom Team Chat for the full summary.

Zoom AI Companion Troubleshoot

When it goes missing or misbehaves, run through these quick checks before calling support.

You don’t see any AI buttons

• Verify your plan. Only paid Workplace plans unlock AI Companion. Free tiers hide every toggle.
• Update Zoom. New features ride with the newest desktop and mobile builds. Install, restart, and sign back in.
• Open the web portal. AI switches live under Account Settings › AI Companion. If they’re off or greyed, flip them on.
• Check the lock icon. Admins can hard-lock features. Unlock them or ask your owner to do it.

Two minutes here solves most “it’s gone” reports.

The panel is absent inside meetings

AI Companion only shows in scheduled or unique-ID meetings. It skips Personal Meeting IDs and most instant rooms.

Schedule a fresh meeting, or disable the PMI toggle before you start. The panel should pop in once participants join.

Meeting Summary never arrives

• Start it manually. Hosts must click Start summary unless auto-start is enabled.
• Wait a beat. Large calls need a couple of minutes to process. Check your Zoom Team Chat or inbox after the delay.
• Avoid breakout rooms. Summaries stop when everyone splits off, then restart in the main room only.

Still blank? Confirm the meeting wasn’t running under a PMI, then try again.

“Ask AI” returns no answers

• Toggle the feature. Head to the web portal and turn on Meeting Questions at either account or user level.
• Keep the chat open. The AI panel must stay visible; closing it pauses processing. Reopen it from the toolbar if needed.
• Use structured speech. Clear statements like “What did Jordan decide?” parse better than rambling queries.

Settings show “Locked by admin”

You’re likely a member, not the account owner. Ask the admin to unlock the AI Companion tab at Account Management. Once unlocked, you can fine-tune your own toggles.

Audio is recorded but no transcript appears

Zoom writes transcripts to the cloud recording location. Make sure cloud recording is enabled and you haven’t exceeded storage limits. Then refresh the recording page.

Zoom AI Companion Experience & Review

I’ve used Zoom AI Companion for weeks now—on interviews, team check-ins, even quick one-on-ones. And it definitely lightens the load. But it’s not perfect.

Here’s what I’ve learned from real use.

What works well

You stay present.
Once it’s set up, you don’t need to touch a thing. It starts when the meeting begins, captures the whole conversation, and sends a summary right after. That’s great when you’re running back-to-back calls and don’t have time to stop and write.

Live note-taking is a game-changer.
During longer meetings, you can glance at the AI Companion panel to see a running summary. If you arrive late, type “Catch me up” and it gives you context instantly. It saves you from asking people to repeat themselves.

It works inside Zoom.
No new tab. No extra app. No switching windows. Everything happens where the meeting is, which keeps your workflow simple.

Where it falls short

The transcription isn’t always accurate.
If someone speaks fast or has a strong accent, you’ll get odd phrasing or missing words. In a panel interview, it confused two speakers and jumbled their parts. That makes reviewing quotes tricky, especially when accuracy matters.

No external integrations.
This one stings. You can’t push summaries into your CRM, ATS, or Notion. You can copy and paste—but it’s manual. If you’re used to syncing your notes automatically into tools like Salesforce or HubSpot, Zoom AI Companion feels limited.

Custom templates? Not yet.
It gives you a basic summary with general bullets and action items. But you can’t tweak the format. I wanted a structured layout for interviews—skills, strengths, concerns—but there’s no way to customize what the AI looks for or how it presents it.

Works only in Zoom.
If your team uses Google Meet or switches platforms for a client call, you’re back to manual notes. There’s no portability here.

Integrated Zoom Note Taker: Noota

Zoom AI Companion is not the best AI note taker you can find.

Noota fills that gap.

• ‍Platform agnostic You invite Noota through a Chrome extension or a native recorder. It connects to more than 100 services, from Aircall to Ringover.‍
• True automation Sync your calendar. Noota joins, records, and leaves on time. You never forget to hit “Record.”‍
• Accurate speaker ID Noota tags each participant automatically, even in round-table panels. That makes your transcript easier to skim.‍
• Custom templates Choose a “First-Round Interview,” “Deal Review,” or “Quarterly Check-in” template. Noota tailors every summary to that context, so the insights match your goals.‍
• Automated data sync : Push notes, action items, and highlights straight into Salesforce, HubSpot, or your ATS. No copy-paste. No missed data.

You want to leverage a complete AI Note taker for your Zoom meetings ? Try out Noota for free.