Cisco Unveils Groundbreaking AI Tools to Elevate Your Webex Experience

Cisco has unveiled a suite of AI-driven tools at the Webex One customer conference, aimed at enhancing meeting performance and automating various tasks. The company has been leveraging a large language model (LLM) for features such as meeting transcription and translation. However, Cisco sought to create a model tailored specifically to Webex scenarios where traditional LLMs might not suffice. Jeetu Patel, EVP & GM of Cisco's security and collaboration divisions, noted that while many organizations integrate their unique data with foundational LLMs, Cisco aims to go beyond that.

“We’re introducing a real-time media model, or RMM, which complements our large language model. It harnesses generative AI to improve audio and video in innovative ways,” Patel explained. “This is designed for audio and video, adding more depth and context to the accompanying text.”

The RMM offers capabilities like noise cancellation, gesture recognition, and enhancements for speech and video quality. Additionally, Cisco is launching an AI-powered audio codec, which can supposedly be up to 16 times more bandwidth-efficient than previous codecs. “This means you can transmit audio data using as little as one kilobit instead of 16 kilobits, and sometimes even less. The new codec not only consumes significantly less bandwidth to deliver high-quality audio but also employs AI to reconstruct lost packets during transmission, preserving sound quality even amidst data loss,” Patel added.

“This AI codec ensures that even with 80 to 90% packet loss, you can still experience clear audio,” he stated.

Another exciting innovation is the Webex AI Assistant, which consolidates various AI tools for users in an intuitive manner. This assistant will utilize LLM-powered functionalities to assist with tasks such as message drafting, tone adjustments, and generating summaries for meetings and messages. It will also integrate with RMM for added functionality. For example, if users leave a meeting temporarily, the assistant can provide a recap, action items, or highlights they missed.

As privacy is a common concern with AI technologies, Patel emphasized that Cisco is committed to safeguarding customer and user privacy. “Our Responsible AI Principle on Privacy states that when AI processes personal data or makes decisions concerning an individual, privacy controls must be integrated into the technology to ensure that personal data usage is permissible, purpose-driven, proportionate, and equitable,” he asserted.

Simply put, Cisco prioritizes giving users control over their data usage. As part of these new features, the company ensures that employees can disable the “away from computer feature” if they have concerns about oversight. Furthermore, Cisco clarified that it does not use customer data to train its AI models.

The Webex Assistant is set to debut later this year, while the assistant—enhanced with RMM features like the “away from computer” option—will be available in early 2024. The AI audio codec is planned for release in the first half of 2024.