Manually record or upload meeting audio, or ask OtterPilot to be your default notetaker
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What to Know
- Automatic transcription: Give OtterPilot calendar access to record and transcribe every meeting.
- Manual recording: Select Record to transcribe in real-time, or copy a meeting link in the Paste URL to record box.
- Upload: Click Import or drag and drop file > view progress bar > locate completed transcription in My Conversations.
This article explains how to use Otter AI to transcribe meetings using OtterPilot for automatic or manual recordings or audio file uploads.
How to Transcribe With Otter AI
Otter AI offers multiple methods for audio transcription, including:
- Real-time participation as a meeting “participant” and notetaker.
- Manually recording a meeting
- Uploading audio or video files
These steps outline each of these methods.
Expert Tip: Note
The screenshots and instructions focus on the web interface, but the steps are largely the same in the mobile app.
Automatically Transcribe Meetings With OtterPilot
Sign up for an account at Otter.ai and verify your email address.
Once you’ve confirmed your account and logged in, select Apps in the left sidebar.
To link a calendar, choose Add beside your desired option.
Expert Tip: Note
You can repeat these steps to link multiple calendars.
Sign in to your calendar account if prompted and confirm the account link-up by selecting Yes or Allow.
View and edit the meetings OtterPilot will attend by returning to your account Home page and selecting a day from the calendar view.
Use the toggle feature to allow or restrict OtterPilot’s access.
Once Otter AI finishes processing the conversation, view the transcript in My Conversations.
Expert Tip: Tip
You can also link your Zoom account and meeting schedule from Apps > Zoom > Add. OtterPilot will automatically join all meetings you host and record, unless you toggle off access.
Manually Record and Transcribe Meetings With OtterPilot
If you’d rather not provide calendar access to OtterPilot, you can also manually record and transcribe meetings using these steps:
On your account Home page, find the Paste meeting URL to record box in the upper-right corner.
Copy and paste a Zoom meeting URL and press Enter on your keyboard.
In your active Zoom meeting, press Allow in the dialog box that appears to confirm OtterPilot’s note-taking permissions.
Alternatively, in a non-Zoom or Teams meeting, you can manually record a conversation or meeting using the Record button in the upper-right corner of your Otter AI home page.
Transcription happens in real-time and appears in the Summary view. Find the completed conversation from the My Conversations or All Conversations tabs.
Upload Meeting Recordings
If you have a meeting recording you’d like to process and transcribe, you can upload it to Otter AI.
From your Otter AI Home screen, look for the Import button in the upper-right corner.
Select Browse files or drag and drop the file to upload.
Expert Tip: Note
Compatible file types include audio and video formats, such as AVI, MP4, MOV, MP3, WAV, and AAC. Double-check the compatibility list and make sure it doesn’t exceed 5GB before uploading.
The upload progress bar appears on screen.
Once processing completes, view the fully transcribed conversation from the My Conversations tab
What Is Otter AI?
Otter AI is a meeting and transcription service that uses the OtterPilot AI assistant to automate note-taking. It can use real-time recordings, uploaded audio or video files, or join active meetings to capture and transcribe conversations live.
Otter AI offers the ability to record and share transcription summaries with team members using the web and mobile apps and integrates with various services including Slack, Google Calendar, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams.
It’s available with a free account tier, but the paid memberships provide fewer limitations on the number of transcription minutes, audio and video file imports, and more.
What Can Otter AI Do?
Otter AI bundles several core features using two main AI tools, OtterPilot and AI Chat.
Here are some of the most noteworthy features of both tools and the platform as a whole.
- OtterPilot: OtterPilot is the AI meeting assistant that joins meetings automatically (or when prompted) and provides live transcription. OtterPilot also lets users add slides directly from live recordings for easy reference; turn this setting on from Account Settings > Meetings > Auto-capture meeting screens.
- Otter AI Chat: Ask Otter Chat to help you summarize the main points of a meeting and distill it into an email for colleagues. You can also ask follow-up questions, gather meeting minutes to distribute, or enable Otter Chat Q&A for live question fielding (and answering) during meetings.
- Organize chats: You can create folders to categorize recordings and transcripts from the Folder area in your Otter AI account. Users can share folder content with teammates in channels, which can serve as a central repository for transcripts and chats.
- Otter Workspaces: This enterprise-level of access creates spaces for teams to collaborate using all of the transcription and organizational tools.