Google releases a new local-first Granola competitor

In April, Google unveiled an AI-powered dictation tool that operates using local models. The company has now introduced a new competitor to AI note-takers such as Granola, which it names Google AI Edge Foresight. This Mac application can function entirely offline, leveraging the on-device EmbeddingGemma 2 model, featuring 740 million parameters, to capture meeting notes across various platforms, including those from in-person meetings.

Similar to Granola, this app offers a split-screen view that allows users to write shorthand notes on one side and AI-generated notes on the other. It also enables manual note-taking while simultaneously transcribing the meeting. Google's app provides the option to view the meeting transcript or engage with the Gemma 4-powered assistant for real-time answers.

Users can further enrich their knowledge base by uploading documents such as PDFs, Google Docs, Microsoft Office formats, plain text, Markdown, and web bookmarks. The app can then respond to queries in real-time based on the data from the knowledge base. Google has confirmed that its AI Edge Foresight is tailored for Apple Silicon and can operate completely offline, making it useful for users traveling or in areas without internet access.

Although Google's previous dictation app was experimental and didn't achieve widespread usage, the new meeting note-taker might serve as a platform to demonstrate the capabilities of its Gemma series offline models. It remains to be seen if Google will eventually release a consumer version of this meeting note-taker that works across video calling apps using its Gemini apps, relying on its cloud models.

The meeting note-taker market is highly competitive, with numerous companies, including dictation company Wispr, scheduling company Calendly, and productivity startup Superhuman (formerly Grammarly), releasing their own tools in recent months.