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The necessity thrust upon businesses and individuals during the pandemic acted as a powerful catalyst, compressing years of anticipated technological innovation into mere months. "The ability for audio and video to simply function is now the baseline expectation for collaboration," states Brendan Ittelson, Chief Ecosystem Officer at Zoom. "This expectation has evolved beyond mere connectivity to actively enhancing productivity and fostering creativity across the entire collaborative ecosystem." Audio serves as the bedrock of trust, mutual understanding, and effective collaboration. Subpar sound quality can introduce ambiguity and lead to listener fatigue, whereas crisp audio coupled with intelligent processing can imbue digital interactions with a naturalness akin to in-person exchanges.
Sam Sabet, Chief Technology Officer at Shure, elaborates on this fundamental need: "If you consider the core requirement, it’s the capability to amplify the essential audio and information while simultaneously diminishing extraneous noise and sounds. This amplification and reduction process is crucial for enhancing the user experience and facilitating seamless communication." Both Ittelson and Sabet identify Artificial Intelligence (AI) as the central driving force behind this progress. For Shure, machine learning algorithms are instrumental in powering real-time noise suppression, adaptive beamforming, and spatial audio that dynamically calibrates to a room’s unique acoustics. Zoom, in turn, leverages AI across every stratum of its platform, from sophisticated dynamic noise reduction to automated meeting summarization and intelligent assistants that proactively anticipate user needs. These advanced tools are shifting communication from a reactive mode to a proactive one, enabling systems that possess an understanding of intent, context, and even emotion.
"Even for those who are not exclusively working from home and are returning to the office, the types of spaces and environments we utilize for collaboration are in a constant state of flux because our needs are perpetually evolving," Sabet observes. "It is therefore instrumental to have software and algorithms that can adapt seamlessly and self-optimize based on the specific acoustics of a room and the varied layouts of the spaces where people engage in collaboration." The future, as envisioned by both executives, is one where technology recedes into the background, becoming an invisible enabler. As audio devices and AI companions achieve a state of self-optimization, users will no longer need to concern themselves with the intricacies of microphones or the mechanics of meeting links. Instead, the act of connecting will be instantaneous and frictionless. Both Shure and Zoom are actively exploring agentic AI systems and advanced wireless solutions, promising to deliver unparalleled collaboration across diverse environments, from classrooms and conference rooms to the yet-to-be-imagined virtual spaces of tomorrow.
"The ultimate goal is to empower individuals to concentrate on strategic thinking and creative endeavors, rather than being encumbered by administrative minutiae," Ittelson emphasizes. This insightful conversation was produced in partnership with Shure.
Full Transcript
Megan Tatum: From MIT Technology Review, I’m Megan Tatum, and this is Business Lab, the program dedicated to helping business leaders decipher the new technologies emerging from research labs and entering the marketplace. This episode is proudly produced in partnership with Shure. As the pandemic ushered in a profound cultural shift, accelerating our transition into an increasingly virtual world, it also ignited a surge of innovation within the audio and video industries. This innovation was crucial for maintaining employee and customer connections and ensuring business continuity. Today, we will delve into the AI technologies underpinning these advancements, explore their impact on audio innovation, and examine the continuing emerging opportunities for further breakthroughs in audio capabilities. Two words to set the stage: elevated audio. My distinguished guests today are Sam Sabet, Chief Technology Officer at Shure, and Brendan Ittelson, Chief Ecosystem Officer at Zoom. Welcome, Sam and Brendan.
Sam Sabet: Thank you, Megan. It’s a genuine pleasure to be here, and I’m eagerly anticipating this conversation with both you and Brendan. I believe it promises to be a truly exciting discussion.
Brendan Ittelson: Thank you so much for having me today. I’m very much looking forward to our conversation and exploring all the fascinating topics we have lined up in this domain.
Megan: Fantastic. It’s wonderful to have both of you with us. Sam, to provide some initial context, I’d like to begin by discussing the innovation that was largely born out of necessity during the pandemic. When it became apparent that we would all be operating virtually for the foreseeable future, what was Shure’s primary technological mission?
Sam: That’s an excellent question. The pandemic undeniably accelerated a significant amount of innovation surrounding virtual communications and, fundamentally, how we conduct our daily professional lives remotely. Our initial technological mission when the pandemic struck and everyone transitioned to working from home, performing their functions remotely, was to ensure that individuals could continue to communicate effectively, whether for business meetings, virtual events, or educational purposes. Our focus was squarely on collaboration and enhancing the tools that support it. Ideally, our objective was to improve the ease of use and configuration of audio toolsets. This was particularly important because, unlike a controlled office environment, people were working from non-traditional spaces such as home offices or makeshift setups. We needed to guarantee that individuals could still achieve pristine, studio-quality audio even in these uncontrolled environments that are not inherently designed for such demands. We expedited the development of our software solutions, creating toolsets that facilitated straightforward deployment, remote configuration, and management. This approach enabled people to continue their work without the burden of worrying about the underlying technology.
Megan: And Brendan, during that period, it seemed as though everyone, by necessity, became a Zoom user. What was Zoom’s primary mission when virtual connection became such a universal imperative?
Brendan: Well, our core mission fundamentally remained unchanged; it has always been about delivering frictionless communications. What did shift dramatically was the urgency and the sheer scale of our undertaking. Our focus pivoted to ensuring we could achieve this reliably, securely, and at a scale that accommodated millions of new users connecting instantly and without friction. We truly reoriented our thinking, moving beyond being merely a business continuity tool to becoming an essential lifeline for a vast array of individuals and industries. The stories we heard, spanning education, healthcare, and general human connection, highlighted the profound significance of the moments that matter to people, and the role we played in facilitating them. This became incredibly important. Our paramount focus was on how we could be present and make the experience so frictionless that individuals could concentrate on that human connection, rather than the technology enabling it. This accelerated our innovation cycle and reinforced our conviction that we must prioritize simplicity, accessibility, and trust in communication technology, thereby allowing people to focus on connection, not the technology itself.
Megan: That’s so true. It truly did become an absolute lifeline for people, didn’t it? Before we delve into the technologies that extend beyond these emerging capabilities, I’d like to first discuss the critical importance of clear audio. Sam, while we all invest considerable thought into our visual presentation on Zoom, is the impact of how we sound perhaps equal to, or even more significant than, how we look?
Sam: Yes, you are absolutely correct. Clear audio is undeniably critical for effective communication. While video quality is undoubtedly very important, poor audio can significantly impede understanding and engagement. In fact, research from institutions such as Yale University indicates that poor audio can present greater challenges to comprehension and even negatively affect information retention. This is especially true in educational settings, where background noise can be prevalent, and the environments vary widely, from auditoriums to lecture halls. In such scenarios, achieving excellent audio quality becomes a high priority. During the pandemic, as you and Brendan rightly pointed out, it became one of our highest priorities to focus on technologies like beamforming microphones and other methods to focus on the speaker’s voice while minimizing unwanted background noise. Our aim was to ensure that communication was efficient, well-understood, and that distractions were eliminated, allowing individuals to effectively communicate and retain the information being shared.
Megan: It’s truly remarkable how impactful audio can be, isn’t it? Brendan, as you mentioned, remote and hybrid collaboration is intrinsically woven into Zoom’s DNA. What observations can you share regarding how users have evolved alongside these technological advancements, and perhaps how their expectations have similarly grown?
Brendan: Definitely. Users now anticipate seamless and intelligent experiences. The fundamental functionality of audio and video working correctly is the baseline for collaboration. This expectation has transitioned from simply connecting people to actively enhancing productivity and creativity across the entire ecosystem. When we examine this, we’re really looking at trends in terms of how people want to perform better when they are in their own environments. For instance, AI-powered tools like Smart Summaries, translation, and noise suppression are designed to help individuals remain productive and connected, regardless of their work location. This principle also extends to the office environment. We’re observing users engaging with technologies like Intelligent Director and Smart Name Tags, which contribute to meeting equity even when participants are physically present in a conference room. The remote experience and the in-room experience are being harmonized to create an equivalent ability for everyone to be seen, heard, and to contribute effectively. We are now pushing further into this domain, extending beyond just meetings. Zoom is evolving into an AI-first work platform, with a central focus on human connection. This encompasses not only meetings but also features like Chat, Zoom Docs, Zoom Events and Webinars, the Zoom Contact Center, and more. All of these elements are being brought together under the umbrella of our AI Companion, which serves as the core engine to connect these diverse points of interaction for individuals.
Megan: Brendan, we understand that it wasn’t solely workplaces that were impacted by the pandemic; the education sector also underwent a monumental transformation. Could you perhaps elaborate on Zoom’s role and operations within the higher education sphere?
Brendan: Absolutely. Education has consistently been a significant focus for Zoom, and it’s a sector in which we firmly believe. As a company, we deeply value education and learning, and as such, we have made substantial investments in this sector. Personally, as the son of academics, it’s an area I find perpetually fascinating. We continue to invest in enhancing the classroom experience. This is particularly relevant now, as the concept of a classroom has broadened to include in-person, virtual, and hybrid modalities. By leveraging Zoom and its suite of tools, we are able to help bridge these diverse scenarios, making learning accessible to students irrespective of their circumstances. What truly energizes us is providing technology that empowers individuals to pursue their aspirations and interests, to elevate their endeavors, and to foster greater inspiration. We are continuously investing in ways to facilitate the dissemination of knowledge and to integrate seamlessly within the communication and collaboration workflows that are integral to higher education. This includes integration into the classroom, learning management systems, and ensuring a fluid experience so that students and their educators can collaborate effortlessly. Furthermore, we are committed to supporting the underlying infrastructure and administration that make these educational processes possible.
Megan: Absolutely. That is an incredibly important undertaking. And Sam, from Shure’s perspective, could you discuss your engagement within the education sector, particularly from an audio standpoint?
Sam: Absolutely. In fact, this is a topic that is very close to my heart, as I am an adjunct professor in my spare time.
Megan: Oh, wow. Very impressive.
Sam: And I personally experience the challenges of conducting hybrid lectures, if you will. Shure has proven to be particularly well-suited for this environment, and we have been focusing on and investing in technologies for this sector for decades. If you consider the typical structure of a lecture hall, it presents a different set of challenges compared to a simple meeting around a conference table. Shure has dedicated its efforts to creating products that facilitate the integration of a presenter scenario with a meeting space, as well as accommodating remote participants. Our goal is to ensure that remote users or students can intelligibly comprehend what is happening in the lecture hall and also actively participate. Through our products, such as the Ceiling Mic Arrays and our wireless microphones specifically designed for presenters and educators, like our MXW neXt product line, we have developed technologies that enable these two previously distinct worlds to integrate seamlessly. When you then combine this with integrations with Zoom and other collaborative platforms, it has proven to be exceptionally instrumental. And again, as someone who uses these tools to deliver lectures, I can attest to the night-and-day difference in the effectiveness of my lectures today compared to five or six years ago. All of this is made possible by technologies purpose-built for these specific scenarios and the increasing integration with these powerful tools that simply make the job so much more seamless.
Megan: Absolutely fascinating that you’ve had the opportunity to personally utilize the technology to verify its effectiveness. You mentioned AI earlier, Sam. What AI technologies have had the most significant impact on recent audio advancements?
Sam: Yes, absolutely. If you consider the fundamental need here, it’s the ability to amplify the audio and the information that is truly essential, while simultaneously diminishing unwanted sounds and audio. This amplification and reduction process is crucial for enhancing the overall experience and enabling seamless communication. In our innovations at Shure, we have leveraged cutting-edge technologies to both improve communication effectiveness and to align seamlessly with the evolving features of unified communications platforms, such as those Brendan just described for Zoom. We actively partner with industry leaders like Zoom to ensure that we are providing the capability to focus on the desired audio and eliminate all background distractions. AI has fundamentally transformed audio technology, incorporating machine learning algorithms that enable us to perform more real-time audio processing and significantly enhance aspects like noise reduction and speech isolation. To offer a simple example, our IntelliMix Room audio processing software, which we have released as part of a complete room solution, utilizes AI to optimize sound in various environments. This adaptability to changing work environments is, in fact, one of the fundamental shifts during this period, whether we consider it the pandemic era or the post-pandemic era. The key element is flexibility and the ability to adapt to evolving work settings. Even if you are not working from home and are returning to the office, the types of spaces and environments you use for collaboration are in constant flux because our needs are perpetually changing. Therefore, having software and algorithms that adapt seamlessly and can self-optimize based on the specific acoustics of a room and the varied layouts of collaborative spaces is instrumental. Furthermore, AI has transformed the way audio and video integrate. For instance, we employ voice recognition systems that integrate with intelligent cameras, enabling voice-tracking technology. This allows cameras not only to identify who is speaking but also ensures that you can both hear and see individuals clearly, thereby significantly enhancing the overall communication experience.
Megan: Wow. It’s truly astonishing how much innovation has occurred in such a relatively short period. Brendan, you touched upon AI earlier, but I’m curious about other AI technologies that have had the most significant impact as Zoom expands its emerging capabilities.
Brendan: Definitely. And I couldn’t agree more with Sam’s assessment that AI has driven such a profound shift, and it truly spans the entire spectrum. When I consider it, there are almost three distinct tiers within the technological stack. You begin at the raw audio level, where AI performs functions like noise suppression, echo cancellation, and voice enhancements. All of these contribute to generating an exceptional audio signal that can then feed into the next layer. This next layer involves speech AI and natural language processing, which unlocks capabilities such as real-time transcription, translation, and searchable content, thereby making communication not just audible but also more accessible and inclusive by providing content in formats best suited to individual needs. Finally, you build upon these two layers with generative and agentic AI, which can begin to surface insights, summarize conversations, and even take actions on behalf of users. This fundamentally alters how people work and how they access information, enabling them to connect more effectively. I believe this represents a monumental shift, and I am incredibly enthusiastic about how these three levels interact to truly empower individuals to achieve more and to connect more deeply, thanks to AI.
Megan: Yes. Absolutely. The richness of information that can be extracted from a single call now, thanks to these types of tools, is immense. Following on from that, Brendan, you previously mentioned the Zoom AI Companion. I’m interested to hear about your top priorities when developing that product to ensure it genuinely benefits your customers.
Brendan: Definitely. When we developed AI Companion, we had two primary focus areas from its inception: trust and security, and then accuracy and relevance. On the trust front, it was a non-negotiable that customer data would not be used to train our models. People need to be assured that their conversations and content are private and secure.
Megan: Of course.
Brendan: And then, regarding accuracy, we needed to ensure that AI outputs were not generic but were firmly grounded in the actual context of a meeting, a chat, or a specific product. However, the truly compelling aspect of AI Companion, in my view, is the customer value it delivers. AI Companion helps individuals save time through meeting recaps, task generation, and proactive preparation for upcoming sessions. It significantly reduces friction in hybrid work environments, whether you are in a meeting room, a Zoom room, or collaborating across different tools like Microsoft or Google. It also fosters more equitable participation by surfacing the appropriate context for everyone, irrespective of where or how they are working. All of this culminates in a product that is practical, trustworthy, and seamlessly integrated into the flow of work. It’s not just another tool to manage; it’s present within an individual’s workflow to provide assistance along the way.
Megan: Yes. That aspect of trust is so profoundly important today, isn’t it? And Sam, while AI has significantly impacted audio innovation, audio has also, in turn, influenced AI capabilities. Could you perhaps discuss audio as a data input and the advancements that technologies like large language models (LLMs) are enabling?
Sam: Absolutely. Audio serves as a remarkably rich data source that has introduced a new dimension to AI capabilities. If you consider speech recognition or natural language processing, they have experienced significant advancements directly attributable to the audio data they receive. And echoing Brendan’s points about trust and accuracy, I like to conceptualize the products Shure provides to customers as essentially the "eyes and ears" within a room for leading AI companions, much like the Zoom AI Companion. It is imperative to have that pristine audio input to ensure the accuracy of the AI’s output. These AI companions have been instrumental in shaping how we conduct business on a daily basis. From transcription and speaker attribution to the ability to incorporate action items within a meeting and track interactions, all of these functionalities fundamentally rely on accurate and pristine audio input into the AI. I believe this further enhances the trust that our end users place in AI-generated results, enabling them to leverage AI more effectively. If you consider how AI audio inputs enhance interactive AI systems, it facilitates more natural and intuitive interactions with AI. It truly enables seamless integration and allows users to utilize these systems without having to worry about whether the room is set up correctly or if the audio levels are appropriate. And when we discuss agentic AI, we are actively engaged in future developments where systems can self-heal or detect issues within an environment, allowing them to autocorrect and adapt across all these diverse settings, thereby enabling the AI to perform its functions much more effectively.
Megan: Sam, you’ve touched upon future developments. I wonder if we could conclude our conversation today with a forward-looking perspective. Brendan, can you share some of the innovations Zoom is currently working on, and what are you most excited to see come to fruition?
Brendan: Well, your timing for this question is absolutely perfect, as we’ve just concluded Zoomtopia 2025.
Megan: Oh, wow.
Brendan: And this is where we discussed many of the new AI innovations that are coming to Zoom. To begin, there’s AI Companion 3.0. We have launched this next generation of agentic AI capabilities within Zoom Workplace. With the release of 3.0, it transcends mere transcription; it has truly evolved into a platform that assists with follow-up tasks, prepares you for your next conversation, and even proactively suggests ways to optimize your time. For example, AI Companion can assist you in intelligently scheduling meetings across different time zones, suggest which meetings you might be able to skip while remaining fully informed, and even provide you with context and insights before you enter a conversation. The objective is to empower individuals to focus on strategy and creativity, rather than administrative busywork. And specifically for hybrid work, we’ve introduced Zoomie Group Assistant, which represents a significant leap forward for hybrid collaboration. Acting as an assistant for group chats and meetings, you can simply ask, "@Zoomie, what’s the latest update on the project?" or "@Zoomie, what are the team’s action items?" and receive instant answers. Or, given our discussion on audio, you can enter a conference room and say, "Hey, Zoomie," and receive assistance with tasks like checking into a room, adjusting lighting, temperature, or even sharing your screen. While all these are built-in features, we are also expanding the platform to allow for custom AI agents through our AI Studio, enabling organizations to develop their own agents or integrate with third-party ones. Zoom has always championed an open platform and philosophy, and this commitment continues. Users of AI Companion 3.0 will be able to utilize agents across various platforms, integrating with the workflows they have across all the different SaaS vendors they might utilize, whether that includes Google, Microsoft, ServiceNow, Cisco, and numerous other tools.
Megan: Fantastic. That certainly sounds like a tool I could benefit from in my own work, so I eagerly anticipate hearing more about it. And Sam, we’ve discussed the multitude of exciting developments in audio. What is Shure working on, and what innovations are you most enthusiastic to see come to fruition?
Sam: At Shure, our engineering teams are actively engaged in a diverse range of exciting projects. However, we are particularly focused on developing new collaboration solutions that are integral for IT end users. These solutions are, of course, designed to integrate seamlessly with leading UC platforms. We are integrating audio and video technologies to create scalable, reliable solutions. Our goal is to enable seamless connectivity to cloud services, thereby leveraging both AI technologies and the available toolsets to optimize every type of workspace. This includes not only meeting rooms but also lecture halls, work-from-home scenarios, and more. Another area of intense focus, stemming from our DNA in the professional audio world, is our unwavering commitment to reliability and quality, particularly in the realm of wireless audio technologies. We are developing our next-generation wireless systems, which will offer even greater reliability and extended range. These systems are ideally suited for applications ranging from large-scale events to personal home use, encompassing the entire spectrum. I believe that all of these advancements, in partnership with our collaborators like Zoom, will significantly facilitate the modern workspace.
Megan: Absolutely. It is clear that a wealth of exciting innovation is happening behind the scenes. Thank you both so very much. That was Sam Sabet, Chief Technology Officer at Shure, and Brendan Ittelson, Chief Ecosystem Officer at Zoom, whom I had the pleasure of speaking with from Brighton, England. That concludes this episode of Business Lab. I’m your host, Megan Tatum, a contributing editor at Insights, the custom publishing division of MIT Technology Review. We were founded in 1899 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and you can find us in print, online, and at events held annually around the globe. For more information about us and the show, please visit our website at technologyreview.com. This show is available on all podcast platforms. If you enjoyed this episode, we hope you will take a moment to rate and review us. Business Lab is a production of MIT Technology Review, and this episode was produced by Giro Studios. Thank you for listening.
