Virtual Meeting Proxy for Absent User Participation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users invited to virtual meetings but unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts or other constraints face inefficiencies, as they cannot participate or provide input, leading to less effective meetings and increased resource usage for note-taking and follow-up communications.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that allows users to attend virtual meetings by proxy, identifying suitable calendar events and enabling participation through automated processes, including AI-generated summaries and discussion points input during the meeting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If users are invited to virtual meetings but cannot attend due to scheduling conflicts, then meeting participation and input provision are lost, but sending calendar invites and scheduling remain necessary
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the absent user's participation by generating an AI avatar that joins the meeting in their place. This avatar can listen to discussions, take notes, and provide input based on pre-submitted discussion points, effectively copying the user's meeting participation without requiring their physical presence.
Solution Approach 2:
The AI avatar serves as an intermediary between the absent user and the meeting participants. It receives input from the user before the meeting, joins the meeting on their behalf, and transmits their discussion points to the meeting, acting as a mediator that bridges the gap between the absent user and the meeting context.
2Loss of information
If manual note-taking and follow-up communications are used for absent users, then meeting information can be captured, but computing resources and time are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The AI avatar is self-service in that it autonomously joins the meeting, listens to discussions, takes notes, and manages follow-up communications without requiring manual intervention from the absent user or other participants. The system handles information capture and transmission automatically throughout the meeting process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of manual note-taking and follow-up communications with an automated AI-based system. Instead of humans manually capturing meeting information and sending follow-ups, the AI avatar performs these tasks automatically, reducing the computational and temporal resources required.
3Ease of operation
If users provide input during virtual meetings they cannot attend, then their participation is lost, but automated proxy participation can restore it
Solution Approach 1:
The AI avatar is a universal solution that can serve any absent user regardless of the meeting type or context. It performs multiple functions including joining meetings, listening to discussions, taking notes, providing input based on user-submitted discussion points, and sending follow-up communications, making it a multi-functional tool for absent user participation.
Solution Approach 2:
The AI avatar acts as an intermediary that simplifies the complex task of absent user participation. Instead of users having to manually coordinate note-taking with other participants or send multiple follow-up messages, the AI avatar handles all these interactions through a single integrated system.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for identifying a virtual meeting for absent user participation includes identifying, by a calendar application of a first user and based on one or more calendar event criteria, a calendar event that corresponds to a virtual meeting. The first user of the calendar application may be invited to attend the virtual meeting. The method includes causing a calendar application UI to be presented to the first user. The calendar application UI may include a UI element requesting that virtual meeting information be provided to the first user who is unable to attend the virtual meeting. The method includes, in response to a user activation of the UI element, providing a virtual meeting information request of the first user to a virtual meeting application.