Bearbits lets you use an AI copilot during the meeting instead of just reading a summary after

Most meeting assistants act as digital secretaries that summarize a call after you hang up, but Bearbits focuses on real-time utility. It solves the gap where you actually need information—while the conversation is happening—by providing live transcription and translation. This is particularly useful for multilingual environments where participants might switch languages mid-sentence, as the tool handles these transitions without requiring manual toggles.

How does Bearbits handle real-time data?

Unlike the majority of AI meeting tools, Bearbits does not join the call as a visible bot. It runs directly in the browser, which removes the awkwardness of having a "recording bot" present in the participant list. To achieve its real-time capabilities, it integrates two specific backends:

• Transcription: It uses Soniox to convert speech to text instantly.
• Information Retrieval: It uses Exa.ai to ground its suggestions in actual web search results.

By using Exa.ai, the tool avoids the common LLM pitfall of "hallucinating" facts when you ask for a quick piece of information during a live discussion. Instead of the model guessing a statistic or a company detail, it pulls from the live web to provide a suggestion for what you should say next.

When should you use a browser-based copilot?

A browser-based approach is ideal when you want to avoid the friction of integrating a bot into a corporate calendar or dealing with meeting host permissions. Since it doesn't enter the meeting as a guest, it is less intrusive.
The real value appears in high-stakes consulting or technical calls where a language barrier exists. If a client switches from English to another language, the real-time translation allows you to follow the thread without interrupting the flow to ask for a repeat.

Potential failure points to consider

While real-time assistance sounds great, there are two main risks to keep in mind:

1. Cognitive Overload: Trying to read a live transcript and a search suggestion while simultaneously listening to a speaker can be distracting. If the transcription lag is too high or the suggestions are too wordy, you might lose the "human" connection with the person you are talking to.
2. Transcription Accuracy: No matter the engine, technical jargon or heavy accents can lead to errors. If the tool misinterprets a key term, the subsequent web search via Exa.ai will be based on a false premise, leading to irrelevant suggestions.

To get the most out of this, users should treat the suggestions as "hints" rather than scripts. If a suggestion looks wrong, the fastest move is to ignore it and rely on the live transcript to verify what was actually said.
For those interested in the technical discussion around the project, the community thread is available at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49954800.