Latest ChatGPT update lets users record meetings and connect to tools like Dropbox and Google Drive

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OpenAI has announced new updates for ChatGPT which allow users to record and transcribe meetings, as well as connectors for cloud tools such as Google Drive.

The new transcription tools put ChatGPT directly into competition with Otter.AI and Zoom's built-in tools, while the cloud connectors target the AI productivity tools built into offerings from Google and Microsoft.

As part of the update, OpenAI also unveiled a beta of new deep research connectors that would let a user's own data be used with the Deep Research agent.

The new ChatGPT “Record” feature will capture audio, transcribe it into an editable summary, and then make it accessible by ChatGPT for search, analysis, or to generate summaries, emails, and even code.

"With record mode, ChatGPT turns meetings, brainstorms, or voice notes into organized knowledge it can act on, and recall when needed to bring relevant context into a conversation," the company said in a blog post.

"These recordings become part of your internal knowledge, making past conversations searchable, referenceable, and actionable."

To use it, anyone with an applicable subscription can click the ‘record’ button at the bottom of the ChatGPT window. The chatbot will then transcribe as you speak, and when you hit ‘send’, upload the recording, adjust the text, and summarize key points and action items.

That can then be used to generate an email, project plan, or even "code scaffold", the company said.

Audio recorded by the tool is immediately deleted after the transcription is finished, and transcripts are subject to any workspace retention policies that are already set up. None of the data will be used by OpenAI for training, the company noted.

"Content from Team, Enterprise, and Edu workspaces is excluded from model training by default, including audio recordings and transcripts from ChatGPT record," it said.

So far, the record mode tool is only available for ChatGPT Team subscribers, which is $25 a month per person for groups above two, and so far only available on the macOS desktop app.

Team users will have to wait for it to gradually roll out, and OpenAI noted that it will be made available for Enterprise and Edu, meaning educational, subscribers soon.

Record is so far free of charge, with recording lengths of up to 120 minutes, at which point the system will stop. OpenAI noted that the limits and pricing are subject to change.

Latest ChatGPT update brings new cloud connectors

OpenAI's connectors let ChatGPT gather data from cloud applications like Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, SharePoint, and OneDrive to search, run research, and so on. So far, the system is still in beta.

"For example, a researcher could use the Box connector to quickly retrieve quarterly sales metrics from PDFs or spreadsheets stored in Box," the company said in a statement.

The tool is only available for business users — ChatGPT Enterprise, ChatGPT Team and ChatGPT Edu — and admins at those organisations can provision which connectors will be allowed to work, and as above, any data pulled in won't be used to train OpenAI models.

"ChatGPT will structure and clearly present the data — and respect your organization’s existing permissions on the user level — from those documents, with citations," the company said.

The beta connectors are also available for use with ChatGPT's Deep Research agent using GitHub, HubSpot, and Linear, as well as Microsoft and Google tools, meaning users can search the web and their own data when building reports.

The Deep Research connectors are available for business accounts as well as the individual Plus and Pro accounts — however do note that data from such accounts can be used to train models unless you disable the "improve the model for everyone" setting, the company noted.

OpenAI is making use of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to allow customers of any paying subscription, including Plus and Pro, to create customized connectors to any of their tools.

This is an open protocol created by Anthropic to make it easier for AI systems to interact more widely and connect to different systems.

The company also confirmed this will apply to proprietary systems.

"Our goal is to evolve ChatGPT into a platform that unlocks your organization's entire knowledge base — enabling each employee to continuously leverage this knowledge," the company said.

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Freelance journalist Nicole Kobie first started writing for ITPro in 2007, with bylines in New Scientist, Wired, PC Pro and many more.

Nicole the author of a book about the history of technology, The Long History of the Future.