I wanted help pulling out the topics discussed during a video call, and Bluedot AI pleasantly surprised me.I wanted help pulling out the topics discussed during a video call, and Bluedot AI pleasantly surprised me. I wanted help pulling out the topics discussed during a video call, and Bluedot AI pleasantly surprised me.
Wherever you work, some aspects of your job or day-to-day tasks are bound to be mundane, frustrating or both. As a writer, nothing annoys me more than organizing information after an interview for a story that I have yet to write. When piecing together sections from a transcript for my document, I’m not thrilled by how many steps it takes me to prepare for the one thing I’m hired to do: write.
When I was requested to use Google Chrome for a virtual interview, I decided to try out Bluedot, Chrome’s artificial intelligence-powered AI meeting recorder and note taker, in hopes of getting some help along the way.
I have tested and tried various AI-powered tools, including Zoom’s AI project manager and Otter.ai, but haven’t found something I want to integrate within my professional day-to-day. (A problem my squirrely brain frequently has in AI’s oversaturated landscape.) Yet, I was willing to test Bluedot out since it had a quick installation process and didn’t slow down my trusty 2017 MacBook Air.
Bluedot’s free option allows five 1-hour meetings, screen-recording options and Slack integration, so I chose that. It also has a Basic plan for $14/month that provides you with unlimited audio meetings. (It’s $20 per month to get access to features like unlimited video meetings and custom meeting templates.)
I had picked Bluedot from the top of an SEO-generated list created — unsurprisingly — by Google and quickly installed the tool. So I didn’t spend time navigating the software until after my interview was complete. This resulted in being pleasantly surprised by its capabilities (of the 17 listed on its homepage).
Google Chrome’s Bluedot extension: The best parts
These were the features I appreciated most about Bluedot:
- Google Meet Integration alerts your participants of its presence and gives you the option to record with audio or video. The user design is simple and subtle and doesn’t lag while you’re on a call.
- Transcript Template Options is a tool for breaking down your call’s transcript to fit your needs. There’s the option for General Notes, Sales Notes, Customer Check-in, Screening Interview and Technical Discussions. Pro plans ($20 per month) have the ability to generate a custom template based on inserted questions.
- Other Scheduler Software Options include Microsoft Edge, Apple’s Safari, Firefox and Google Chrome. Naturally, you can integrate Bluedot into the Google Suite, including Google Calendar and Google Drive. Upcoming integration additions include Salesforce and Hubspot.
- AI Email Generator is an option that bundles the next steps and timeline from your meeting recap into a succinct email template. This feature reminds me of an in-house version of Superhuman. While I worry that AI-powered emails will be received as robotic, it’s another task checked off your list. At the very least, it can aid you in building and maintaining relationships.
- Emailed Meeting Recap is automatically sent out after your interview is finished uploading to Bluedot’s software. This includes an AI-powered synopsis of the call, time stamps featuring key points and next steps and timeline. You can also access the full meeting recap within the email to access the recording of the interview and transcript side-by-side with the meeting recap.
I was so delighted by the meeting recap Bluedot generated for me that I included it as a snippet in my thank you email the next day; story themes and points made by my subject were captured beautifully!
I’ve found it’s common for humans to worry about whether your angle or opinion was taken out of context following an “on the record” conversation, so sending Bluedot’s AI-generated blurb felt like a nod to us both saying, “The interview went well. Here’s proof.”
While I’m aware this feature isn’t exclusive to Bluedot, the feeling behind the words written in the 250-word AI-powered summary was more conversational and less robotic than other tools I’ve used — almost as if I had written it myself.
Should you use Google Chrome’s Bluedot extension?
Bluedot’s mission is to improve productivity and share knowledge and the ability to coach yourself. I found the “coach yourself” option to personally coincide with my takeaways from the software.
Navigating Bluedot helped find ease and strengthen my organizational and communication skills while seeing the insights behind my interviews. Over time, this could be a valuable asset for watching myself grow and become a better writer.
As a meeting recorder tool that — according to its website — suits entrepreneurs, managers, engineers, sales teams, customer success professionals and recruiters, I’d add that all humans can benefit from the takeaways listed. The choice comes down to preference: your personal needs, design desires and expectations.
For more ways you can use AI to improve your work productivity, check out CNET’s step-by-step guide on using Microsoft Copilot to take notes, how to use Zoom AI Companion, how to soften your professional emails using AI, everything we learned while testing Otter.ai as a project manager, what to know about using Grammarly AI for editing your work, our step-by-step guide to summarizing Google Docs with AI and our full guide on using AI to make a work presentation.