Zoom brings together in-office, remote employees with Intelligent Director

Zoom Communications has launched artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology that it said will allow meeting participants to feel better connected and have improved face-to-face conversations.

With the launch of Intelligent Director for Zoom Rooms, hybrid workers can use multiple cameras to give every participant their own space in Zoom Meetings.

Intelligent Director is specifically designed for medium- to larger-sized rooms, and helps to avoid the “bowling alley effect”. Its multi-camera configuration and use of video AI technology selects the best image and angle of each individual in the room, even if they move around or turn their head, so remote participants can see each person clearly, even in large conference rooms.

This, it adds, is crucial for hybrid work where particularly in bigger meetings it’s easier to be hidden by others when only using a single camera.

Intelligent Director can individually frame up to 16 participants in a Zoom Room using multiple cameras, choosing the best video stream via a Zoom-designed AI and sending that stream to the gallery view of the Zoom Meeting.

An evolution of Zoom’s Smart Gallery feature, which uses a single camera and AI to give each person in a small- to medium-sized room their own space in a Zoom Meeting, Intelligent Director is claimed to take this same technology to the next level for larger conference rooms.

Remote participants can now have face-to-face conversations with each Zoom Rooms participant, allowing in-room participants to be seen and heard.

Intelligent Director is said to be made possible through the support of Zoom’s hardware partner ecosystem. Manufacturers, including Apple, AVer, Dell, HP | Poly, Intel, Logitech and Yealink, have supported Zoom with the computer, controller and camera services necessary to produce this major advancement.

“As more people return to the office, it’s no longer enough to deliver the best remote worker experience; every business needs a solution to deliver the best hybrid meeting experience,” said Smita Hashim, chief product officer at Zoom.

“Even with some employees in the office, oftentimes other team members are dispersed, so meeting equity and inclusion become more important than ever. Intelligent Director is the solution that can bring employees together, regardless of location, so they can truly connect face-to-face.”