Google just made a bold move that puts it head-to-head with the likes of Otter.ai and standalone meeting recorders. The company's Gemini AI notetaker, previously confined to Google Meet video calls, now works in face-to-face meetings—and on competing platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. The feature, announced at Google's Next 2026 conference, marks a significant expansion of Google's enterprise AI strategy into physical workspace territory.

Google is blurring the line between digital and physical meetings. The company's Gemini-powered notetaker, which already transcribes and summarizes Google Meet calls, can now do the same thing when you're sitting across the table from colleagues—no video call required.

The expansion, first reported by 9to5Google, was unveiled at Google's Workspace Next 2026 conference and represents a strategic shift for Google's enterprise AI ambitions. Instead of keeping Gemini locked inside its own ecosystem, Google is letting the AI assistant play nicely with Zoom and Microsoft Teams—a rare concession that signals how seriously it's taking the AI productivity wars.

The feature works pretty much how you'd expect. Pull out your phone during a conference room discussion or coffee shop brainstorm, fire up the Gemini notetaker, and let it capture everything. You don't need to have scheduled the meeting in advance or be sitting in a specific room. "You don't need to be in a meeting room" or in a previously-scheduled meeting to use it, Google notes in its support documentation.

This matters because it puts Google in direct competition with the wave of AI meeting assistants that have exploded over the past two years. Companies like Otter.ai, Fireflies, and Fathom have built entire businesses around the idea that nobody wants to take notes anymore. They've carved out a niche by offering cross-platform support and working wherever meetings happen—exactly what Google is now doing.