Automated analysis of video conferences by AI?

Video conferencing has replaced many business trips and face-to-face meetings on site. There is really nothing that is not discussed on platforms like Zoom, MS Teams or Webex. But how secure are your trade secrets and privacy really in these video conferences?

Despite the undoubted benefits of video conferencing, the legitimate and serious concerns about secrecy, security and also privacy cannot be ignored, especially when it comes to sensitive business information.

Automated processing of communication: Pandora's box?

Face-to-face meetings are already, physically speaking, fundamentally confidential among those present. But what is discussed digitally today is subject to machine processing, global access and automated analysis on a previously unimaginable scale.

1. The spoken word can be transcribed almost flawlessly into text logs at any time. Who said what and when? Even decades later, this information could still be explosive: The Internet does not forget! No matter whether it's a business meeting or a pub conversation: Everything you say can potentially be stored searchable forever. Is that really what you want?
2. Emotions can also be easily identified - call centers have long used this technology to know what mood a caller is in. Is he angry? Doubting? Is he being persuaded right now? This is important information for the other party - but also for third parties outside the conference. Relevant is not only what is said, but also how it is said. Is there a dispute? Is there a merger? What if your negotiation strategy is betrayed by your emotions?
3. Participants can be identified by facial recognition - Facebook & Co. already show how easy this is. Participants in a round of talks can thus be identified just by looking at the video image. Can everyone know when you spoke with whom?
4. In the end, it's also easy to create automated relationship models. Who talks to whom when on what topic? Such information could provide valuable and explosive insights into internals.

The nearly blanket analysis of such conversations could provide clues to negotiation strategies, corporate plans, and even unpublished financial information.

What if economic or political negotiators know the positions and red lines of the other side? What if third parties come to these insights? Competitors? Third party countries? Such data is invaluable: it can mean success or ruin for strategies or entire companies.

However, there should be no mistake about the technical possibilities - the above-mentioned tasks can nowadays already be performed by commercially available cell phones. Not to mention the technical possibilities of a specialized or even state actor.

The solution: Digital sovereignty with OpenTalk

It's critical to make the right choice when it comes to your confidential communications. OpenTalk, as an open source solution, offers the possibility to make your video conferences secure and sovereign. With a high level of functionality, user-friendliness and accessibility, OpenTalk is the ideal choice for anyone who values privacy and digital sovereignty. And it's also available immediately as a SaaS service directly from Germany.