The last time a meeting app update was interesting was the beginning of South Africa’s lockdown. But when Mercedes-Benz is letting drivers conduct on-camera meetings in their cars, it’s worth taking a second look. Even when that look involves using the travesty that is Microsoft Teams.
It’s never been impossible to have a meeting in your car. The catch has been to have your device camera on instead of dialling in as part of a conference call. Having the feature natively possible is something new. Merc’s newest feature allows that, but the German automaker has also considered driver safety.
Supporting Mercedes Teams
If you have to prove your hustle credentials to subordinates or to the corporate monolith that pays for your Mercedes CLA, showing face during the weekly Microsoft Teams meeting is a good way to go about it. The CLA is the first Merc — and the first vehicle — to support on-camera Teams while driving, a move that is “an even more efficient way to work within the vehicle”.
This is via an upgraded Meetings for Teams app, which enables the feature for Mercedes-encased businessmen. Turning the camera on during a meeting turns off shared screens and other feeds from other attendants, to “minimise distraction and maximise safety while driving”. The camera can be enabled or disabled at any time
The German company claims that the feature complies with the laws of each supported country. The app has also been reworked, allowing drivers to easily jump to their next meeting or dictate messages to drop into the chat.
Also integrated into Merc’s MB.OS platform is Microsoft InTune, a software suite that lets drivers do more work in their cars than ever before. System administrators can also use the package to secure the vehicle in the company’s network. Europe and the US are on the launch list for this one.
Since it wouldn’t be 2025 without something AI-related. Mercedes is also integrating Microsoft’s 365 Copilot API in its vehicles. Another global first (though we can’t imagine why that’s a good thing), the feature will “help users prepare for upcoming meetings with the aid of advanced AI. Using voice prompts, drivers can summarise emails, retrieve or query client preferences and details, and manage daily tasks.” Because many Merc-level business types leave their meeting prep until they’re in the car. Obviously.
