This New AI Battery Could Be the Personal Transcriber I’ve Been Waiting For — If It Works

Notes are a big part of what I do. I have over 90 notes in the Apple Notes app that I flip between for different purposes, whether it’s an idea for a story, some quotes from a press conference, interview transcripts, or even my shopping and to-do lists. One of these notes includes snippets from a demo of a company that’s using artificial intelligence (AI) to solve this problem: Plaud.

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Plaud has just announced its new product NoteBatteryAn AI-powered wearable device that can record your voice, transcribe and summarize what you say, turning your notes into a searchable database of information.

In a recent press conference, Plaud CEO Nathan Hsu said that Plaud NotePin was born out of the need to apply AI to real life instead of data available online.

The device is a small, pill-shaped gadget that you can wear around your neck, on your clothes as a pin, on your wrist with a strap, or clip to a jacket or bag. And yes, all of these wearable options come in the box, so you don’t have to buy a separate strap if you decide to start wearing it on your wrist instead of as a pin.

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During meetings, you can tap NotePin, which will chime to start recording. When the meeting is over, you can stop recording and NotePin will transcribe the recording. You can find the transcript and AI-generated summaries of what was discussed in an app. The summaries are scannable and searchable, so you can ask the AI ​​assistant in the app to find that meeting when you’re discussing “Y’s project deadline.”

I use ChatGPT and other AI tools every day to aid in workflows, answer questions, or perform automated tasks at home. I’m also an avid note-taker, as I believe many writers are, and used to carry a notebook with me before smartphones came along so I could jot down any ideas that popped into my head while out and about.

I also enjoy dictating my notes, even more so since I am physically limited due to illness.

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I’ve gotten used to asking Alexa to control lights or smart devices at home. When I’m on the go, I often use Siri to call someone or reply to a text message. The only thing I don’t like about using Siri is writing notes, specifically because the virtual assistant can be inefficient.

I like NotePin because it allows you to quickly take long or short notes, is easy to use, and can easily be taken anywhere. I can use it to record interviews, jot down lists, or even read out story ideas or sketches on the go.

The Plaud NotePin is perfect for these and other use cases. If Plaud can provide security and privacy protection for healthcare, I can imagine doctors wearing the Plaud NotePin around their necks to read notes between patients instead of having to stop and jot something down on a laptop. It’s also great for meetings in general, especially project planning discussions.

NotePin can also be an assistive tool for people with limited mobility or visual and hearing impairments.

Of course, the device has its limitations. It can make mistakes in transcription, which can affect summaries and search capabilities. This is to be expected with AI wearables, as they are still largely in the early stages of development, but it is an important factor to consider when deciding between this product or a phone app that performs a similar function.

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Available for buy for $169NotePin lets you record up to 300 minutes of audio per month without a subscription. Consumers can also sign up for a $79-a-year membership that allows up to 1,200 minutes of recording per month and additional features, like labels for each speaker. NotePin comes in gray, white, and purple.

I will conduct more in-depth tests with Plaud AI NotePin in the next few days and update this article with my findings.