For years, the smartest thing in most meeting rooms was probably the person who remembered which button turned the screen on. That is changing. Artificial intelligence is beginning to move beyond transcription, meeting summaries and background noise removal. Meanwhile, the next generation of audiovisual technology is becoming increasingly aware of what is happening inside the physical room.
Cameras can determine who is speaking and microphones can identify where voices are coming from. Systems can also frame participants automatically. Increasingly intelligent AV can understand whether people are using a room and how they are using it. In other words, the meeting room is starting to think for itself.
From Automation to Awareness
Meeting room automation isn’t particularly new. AV systems have switched displays on, selected sources, adjusted lighting and controlled audio automatically for years. What’s changing is the amount of information these systems can use to make decisions.
Traditionally, an AV control system follows instructions. Press a button and something happens. Walk into a room and a presence sensor might trigger a predetermined sequence. AI adds another layer. Instead of simply detecting somebody’s presence, systems can potentially understand how many people have entered the room. They can also determine where people are sitting, who is speaking and how they are using the space.
As a result, the room can respond to what is happening rather than simply execute a series of pre-programmed commands.
Cameras That Do More Than Provide a Picture
Intelligent camera systems are already changing video conferencing. Traditionally, a camera might provide a single wide shot of everyone sitting around a table. Intelligent cameras can instead identify participants and create individual views. When someone speaks, the system can frame them automatically without requiring someone to operate a camera.
In larger spaces, multiple cameras can work together to provide more natural coverage. For hybrid meetings, that matters. Making remote participants feel as involved as those physically in the room has always presented a challenge. Better framing, improved audio and intelligent switching can help reduce that divide.
The Microphone Is Getting Smarter Too
Audio is undergoing a similar transformation. Modern microphone systems can determine where sound originates and focus on the person speaking. At the same time, they can reduce unwanted noise from elsewhere in the room.
Combine that capability with intelligent cameras and the audio system can effectively tell the video system where to look. This interaction between different AV technologies is particularly interesting. Instead of operating as individual devices, the technology starts working together as one coordinated system.
What Happens to All That Information?
There is, however, another side to increasingly intelligent AV. Cameras, microphones, occupancy sensors and AI processing can potentially generate a considerable amount of information. As a result, organisations need to understand exactly what their systems do with it.
Does processing take place locally or in the cloud? Does the system retain audio or video? Can it identify individual participants? It’s also important to understand what information leaves the network, how long systems keep it and who can access it.
These questions become particularly important in government, corporate, legal and other security-conscious environments. The cleverest meeting room isn’t necessarily the one with the most technology. A well-designed room uses technology appropriately for the people, information and environment it serves.
AV, IT and Security Are Becoming Inseparable
All of this highlights a much wider change within professional AV. We can no longer consider a modern AV system as simply a collection of screens, speakers and cables.
Modern AV increasingly sits on the network. Cloud services can form part of the system, while AV devices interact directly with corporate IT infrastructure. Modern systems also process audio and video and can generate information about how people use spaces. As AI becomes more integrated, the relationship between AV, IT and cybersecurity will become even closer.
AV designers therefore need to consider networking and cybersecurity from the beginning of a project. Neither should become an afterthought. At RTS AV, this is particularly relevant to the environments in which we work. Our teams regularly work across government buildings, secure meeting spaces, public inquiries and live events. In these environments, reliability and security can be every bit as important as picture and sound quality.
So, Will the Meeting Room Run Itself?
We’re getting closer. Filling rooms with technology simply because we can isn’t the objective. In fact, good AV should normally make technology less noticeable. Ideally, you should be able to walk into the room, start the meeting, speak naturally and let the technology do the rest.
That’s where intelligent AV becomes genuinely useful. Adding AI simply because it’s the latest technology achieves very little. Instead, intelligence should remove complexity and improve the experience for everyone using the room. Behind the scenes, the technology can quietly get on with its job.
After thirty years of designing, installing and supporting audiovisual systems, we’ve seen meeting rooms change enormously. However, the next evolution may be one of the biggest yet. The next time you walk into a meeting room, it might already know what to do.
