10/1/20 Update: Cisco has completed the acquisition of BabbleLabs. Welcome to Cisco!
If you are working from home, your team is surely getting to know you a little better over video, maybe in unexpected ways. The cat that strolls into your meeting, kids running by in costumes. Where it can all get interesting is when a leaf blower, a vacuum, or a barking best friend barges in on the conversation. It’s tough to come off as professional when your words are lost to a lawn mower.
We’re putting an end to those noisy disruptions so you can get on with your work. Today we are pleased to announce the intent to acquire privately held BabbleLabs. BabbleLabs is at the forefront of using advanced AI techniques to distinguish human speech from any unwanted noise. That means vacuums, sirens and other distracting noises are silenced and your voice comes through clearly. With the addition of BabbleLabs, we’ll bring this native noise removal capability to our Webex collaboration portfolio.
The need is widespread. According to a Cisco global survey* focused on the future of work, 98 percent of workers say they experience frustration from distractions during video meetings when working from home. Two of the top 5 frustrations called out are about background noise—either from other participants or their own side of the call.
See noise removal with Webex in action:
Intelligence that makes calls and video meetings ‘better than being there’
We’re working on making the Webex experience 10X better than in-person interactions, and noise removal is another way to keep meetings flowing. And it’s not just remote workers at home or in coffee shops that will benefit. As we begin a safe return to the office, you’ll also be able to keep the video discussion rolling even with a noisy backdrop of coworkers crunching their chip bags and moving squeaky chairs around.
We’ve had a focused technology and talent strategy integrating intelligence into the Webex platform over the last three years, and BabbleLabs is an important addition. Noise removal and speech enhancement join a powerful portfolio of intelligence capabilities to help people love the way they work. Some examples:
- Before a Meeting: Insight into people attending the meeting, see who’s on before you join, check video frame, touchless pair and join
- During a Meeting: Best-in-class audio and video, optimized video for bandwidth, blurred or custom background across any OS, touchless sharing of ideas and files, digital whiteboarding, automated note taking, live transcription, capture action items
- After a Meeting: Automatically send meeting notes and action items
The industry’s most advanced noise removal and speech enhancement technology
Background noise suppression has become table stakes; BabbleLabs’s noise removal technology goes beyond alternative noise suppression technology solutions by:
- Distinguishing speech from background noise;
- Removing background noise in real-time; and
- Enhancing your voice to elevate communication, independent of language.
As we continue to bring work into the privacy of our homes, it’s also important that the technology is secure, and that our data is private. BabbleLabs complements Cisco’s focus on secure collaboration by processing noise removal at the source where the noise happens (on the client side). BabbleLabs will align with Cisco’s strict data policies, complementing our longstanding commitment to security and privacy and the culture of security we’ve built. All of this enables Webex to deliver a great user experience and helps our customers stay safe.
On behalf of the Webex team, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to the BabbleLabs team, and am excited to deliver customers this important capability so people have an exceptional meeting experience from wherever they may work. And we’re not stopping here. We’ll continue to innovate on the video and audio experience with some exciting things up our sleeves for the months ahead.
* Soon to be released, this survey covers the changing working environment as a result of COVID 19. In July 2020 we surveyed 1,569 qualified participants globally — knowledge workers, IT, HR and facilities professionals at small to larger enterprise companies representing all seniority levels. China, APAC, EMEA, and North America.
it sounds really cool
can you hear me………
Any upcoming option to record audio in separate channels?
A good step in a good direction.However,the mobile WebEx app needs an improvement. When the phone is switched to landscape mode,the video restarts. This is not good when you are in a live meeting.
Now buy teamviewer so that remote control actually works on connections that aren’t 1 gig plus up and down with less than 20 msec response time.
Looking forward to have the dedicated language selection channel so interpreters can render simultaneous interpretation.
Hi Maribel, to my understanding this is coming with Webex Assistant soon.
Yes, there are a ton of customers that need this capability, not everyone on a Webex speaks the same language…
This is great news! It’s going to enhance whole WebEx experience which is need of the hour in changed world
Indeed!
HPCL India wish to collaborate with cisco for testing these new capabilities on ou WebEx platform being used by our diverse locations and people covering remotest corner of India
Much needed Feature!!!
definitely a competitive advantage…
Too good
It’s a good idea but the Echo what we are hearing when we do the conference with the help of Android phone should be eliminated
Cisco stays competitive!
What a fantastic addition the the Webex stack. The technology is perfect for important meetings with a house full of kids and dogs!
No sure about benefit of such a system. Dog barking or other noise can have surprise effect but not too negative. I believe voice quality related to huge bandwidth consumption is a real challenge for Webex that should be addressed.
YEESSS!! that is definitely a step in the right direction. My dog does not like it when I do not pay attention to her therefore, barking to get my attention while I am on a call is her way of getting back at me from time to time, or when the door bell rings…I am already anxious and ready for this. Bring it ON!
This is simply awesome! Amazing to see the WebEx integrating intelligence with noise removal and enhanced experience!
Exciting – now my dogs will not be able to “express their opinion” while I am on calls. 🙂
Very impressive! How well will this work when the time comes that we go back into an office and you hear co-workers in the background? Particularly for call centers, sales floors, etc where it’s unwanted voices and commotion in the background that make there way onto important client calls.
As it is found to have a lot of extra noise at times. Hope to be soled. There is a provision found to mute all by the host but the participants unmute as they like before the host gives permission. There should be an option to unmute by the participants only with the permission of the host. Otherwise it is disturbence.
As it is found to have a lot of extra noise at times. Hope to be soled. There is a provision found to mute all by the host but the participants unmute as they like before the host gives permission. There should be an option to unmute by the participants only with the permission of the host. Otherwise it is disturbence.
Cisco webex has been a game changer for healthcare however productivity tools and its integration into outlook is fragmented and causes more problems than resolves. I would welcome Babblelabs to the webex service but for me what would be so very helpful would be automated script of the meeting which is made available to attendees so in the absence of a groups usual host, minute taking at a later date having played back the meeting can be avoided. Also on that note, can the playback be improved? When taking minutes it would be useful for this to be linked to an audio software foot pedal which most secretaries/PA use.
Finally !
Again and again the meeting room is being locked and it is restricted to 1 hour. How can I come out of this problem????
Lets gooooooooo
Mr. Javed Khan, great purchase and great for Cisco. Would or could you use this tech for restaurant speakers and headsets and drive thrus? There would be millions in usa and world. I worked in the industry and they sure need improvement. Im a long time shareholder . Thank you and follow your blogs.
Wow this is amazing.
Can’t wait for this technology to be integrated for everyone on Webex. Game changer! No more need to “shhhh” the cat from meowing.