Skip to content

Product Independently confirmed3 publishers 2 min read Published

Google's experimental Foresight app takes AI meeting notes without leaving the Mac

Google has released AI Edge Foresight, a Granola-style Mac meeting note-taker that works fully offline on its on-device EmbeddingGemma 2 model. The Verge reported it is free and experimental, so teams barred from cloud transcription can pilot it cheaply.

The Product Desk

Send a correction

What happened

  • TechCrunch puts the EmbeddingGemma 2 model at 740 million parameters and says the app captures notes across apps, in-person meetings included.
  • Like Granola, the app splits the screen, with the user's own shorthand on one side and AI-generated notes on the other while it transcribes.
  • A Gemma 4-powered assistant answers questions about the meeting, and users can also read the full transcript.
  • Users can load PDFs, Google Docs, Office files, Markdown, plain text and web bookmarks into a knowledge base the app draws on to answer questions mid-meeting.

Why it matters

  • Who has to decide decision Teams that refused cloud note-takers over data rules now have an on-device option to pilot, so their argument moves from where the audio goes to whether the notes are good enough to send.
  • What it limits constraint Mixed fleets cannot standardize on it: the app is a Mac product tuned only for Apple Silicon, leaving Windows users out and Intel Macs without a performance promise.
  • Who's exposed exposure A team that keeps its meeting archive in Foresight depends on an app TechCrunch suspects exists to showcase Gemma models, from a team whose last release did not catch on.

Next story · Product · 2d ago

Google's opt-in Messages setting has Gemini judge what unknown senders want

Confirmed6 publishers

Foresight is pitched at a compliance lead whose policy keeps client-call audio off third-party servers. A sales team has asked her for AI meeting summaries. Google says files, meeting audio and notes "never leave your computer," The Verge reported [10]. The Verge also says running on-device sets the app apart in a growing field of AI note-takers [13].

Google's other claim is about output. Users jot shorthand bullets during the meeting, and the app turns them into "polished notes" based on the transcript, the company says [7]. The Verge calls the app experimental [12]. TechCrunch goes further and suggests it may exist mainly to show what Google's Gemma series of offline models can do [14].

The only usage evidence available belongs to this team's previous release. That was an AI dictation tool built on local models, released in April, and TechCrunch says it never made it to mainstream use [11]. A privacy guarantee gets a tool through procurement. Whether people still open it a month later depends on the quality of the notes, and neither outlet reports Foresight's transcription accuracy or any usage figures.

Google is entering a crowded category. Wispr and Calendly each released a note-taker in the past few months, and Superhuman, formerly Grammarly, bought the YC-backed Fathom last month, according to TechCrunch [9]. TechCrunch also expects Google could release a consumer note-taker through its Gemini apps that works across video-calling apps and relies on cloud models [15].

Two conditions sort the decision for most teams. One is whether policy requires meeting audio to stay on the machine. The other is whether the notes would become the team's working record.

If audio must stay local and the notes live somewhere else, Foresight is a low-cost pilot. The Verge says it is free [12], so a failed trial costs only staff time. A team with the same audio rule whose notes would become the official record can still pilot it. I'd keep the minutes in a system the team controls, because an experimental app can be pulled. Teams cleared for cloud tools learn the most from a side-by-side test: the same meeting through Foresight and through the current note-taker, counting which summary needs fewer corrections. For a cloud-cleared team whose current tool already holds the record, nothing in the reporting argues for switching.

Track two numbers in any of these pilots: how many people still open the app in week four, and how many summaries go out without edits.

What to watch

  • Whether Google publishes transcription accuracy or usage figures for Foresight.
  • Whether Google ships the cloud-based note-taker through its Gemini apps that TechCrunch anticipates. If it does, the offline app becomes the minority option.
  • Whether Foresight loses its experimental label or gains support beyond Apple Silicon Macs.

Clarity's read

What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.

Reality

Evidence55
Adoption
Not scored
Hype gap+10
Incentives40
Confidence60

Perspective Coverage

3 publishers
Builder
Builder 27%
Operator
Operator 55%
Investor
Investor 18%
Why these scores

Claim ledger

Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.

  1. [1]

    Google released Google AI Edge Foresight, a Mac meeting note-taking app that TechCrunch describes as a competitor to the AI note-taker Granola and others.

    Reported Supported Source: TechCrunchView cited source
  2. [2]

    Google AI Edge Foresight transcribes meetings and audio files entirely offline and runs on macOS using Google's on-device EmbeddingGemma 2 model.

    Reported Supported Source: The VergeView cited source
  3. [3]

    The on-device EmbeddingGemma 2 model has 740 million parameters and is used to capture meeting notes across apps, including from in-person meetings.

    Reported Supported Source: TechCrunchView cited source
  4. [4]

    Like Granola, the app has a split-screen view with shorthand notes written by the user on one side and AI-generated notes on the other, and lets users take manual notes while it transcribes the meeting.

    Reported Supported Source: TechCrunchView cited source
  5. [5]

    In Google's app, users can view the meeting transcript or chat with a Gemma 4-powered assistant to get answers.

    Reported Supported Source: TechCrunchView cited source
  6. [6]

    Users can upload PDFs, Google Docs, Microsoft Office formats, plain text, Markdown and web bookmarks to build a knowledge base, and the app can answer questions in real time when a related point comes up in a meeting.

    Reported Supported Source: TechCrunchView cited source
  7. [7]

    Google says users can jot down shorthand bullet points during a meeting and the app will transform them into "polished notes" based on the information in the transcript.

    Reported Supported Source: Google, via The VergeView cited source
  8. [8]

    Google AI Edge Foresight is currently only optimized for Macs with Apple Silicon.

    Reported Supported Source: The Verge; TechCrunch cites Google's FAQ for the Apple Silicon optimizationView cited source
  9. [9]

    In the last few months, dictation company Wispr and scheduling company Calendly released their own note-takers, and productivity startup Superhuman (formerly Grammarly) acquired YC-backed note-taker Fathom last month.

    Reported Supported Source: TechCrunchView cited source
  10. [10]

    Google says users' files, meeting audio, and notes "never leave your computer."

    Reported Supported Source: Google, via The VergeView cited source
  11. [11]

    In April the same Google team released an AI-powered dictation tool that worked with local models; it was experimental and did not make it to mainstream usage.

    Reported Supported Source: TechCrunchView cited source
  12. [12]

    Google AI Edge Foresight is an experimental app and is free to use.

    Reported Supported Source: The VergeView cited source
  13. [13]

    Google AI Edge Foresight stands out among a growing number of AI note-taking apps by operating on-device.

    Reported Contested Source: The VergeView cited source
  14. [14]

    TechCrunch suggests the new meeting note-taker could be just to showcase the ability of Google's Gemma series of offline models.

    Reported Insufficient Source: TechCrunch (analysis)View cited source
  15. [15]

    TechCrunch says Google could release a consumer meeting note-taker that works across video calling apps through its Gemini apps while relying on cloud models.

    Reported Insufficient Source: TechCrunch (speculation)View cited source

Sources

3 independent publishers whose own reporting we read for this story.

  1. cnet.com

    1 article · October 8, 2026

    Google's New AI Notetaker Keeps Things Local and Private - CNET
  2. techcrunch.com

    2 articles · October 8, 2026

    Google releases a new local-first Granola competitor
  3. theverge.com

    1 article · October 8, 2026

    Google’s AI note-taking app transcribes your meetings completely offline

Topics and entities

Topics

Entities