Read AI, a meeting notetaker platform, has launched an email-based AI assistant named Ada, designed to function as a "digital twin" for users. The assistant, announced on Thursday, handles tasks such as scheduling meetings, answering questions based on a company's knowledge base, and replying to out-of-office emails.
Users can begin configuring Ada by sending an email to "ada@read.ai" with the message "Get me started." The company states the assistant will be available to all users and operates around the clock.
How Ada Manages Tasks
When tasked with finding a meeting time, Ada communicates directly within an email thread, proposing the user's availability. If the other party suggests alternative times, Ada responds with new options. While Ada accesses the user's calendar via Read AI, it does not disclose the details of those meetings to others.
For information requests, Ada can draw from a connected company knowledge base, topics from the user's prior meetings, and public internet searches. For example, a user could ask, "Ada, can you provide an update on how we are tracking for Q1 goals?" to receive a contextual answer.
The assistant also prepares draft responses to questions posed by others in an email thread, allowing the user to review and refine the message before sending. Read AI emphasises that Ada will not reveal sensitive information without explicit user permission.
Technical Approach and Proactive Features
Justin Farris, Read AI's VP of Product, explained that Ada does not rely on Model Context Protocols (MCPs). Instead, it builds a knowledge graph from meeting data and connected services to provide more contextual answers. He added that the assistant is designed to take proactive actions over time.
"If you mentioned a follow-up item in a meeting, Ada will ask you to set that up after the meeting with contextual data," Farris stated.
CEO David Shim described the onboarding process: "When you add Ada to your workflow and connect more services to give more context, it starts to ramp up and handle more tasks for you." The company confirmed that while Ada currently operates via email, it will soon be available on Slack and Microsoft Teams.
Company Growth and Market Position
Speaking at Web Summit Qatar earlier this month, CEO David Shim revealed that Read AI now has over 5 million monthly active users, with a goal to reach 10 million. The platform sees approximately 50,000 daily sign-ups and has a broader base of 100,000 users who consume content like meeting summaries without an account.
The United States remains Read AI's largest market, generating roughly half of its revenue, despite 60% of its users being based internationally. The company has raised over $81 million in funding.
Evolving Product Suite and Competitive Landscape
Read AI has been expanding its AI toolset, having launched a Search Copilot for knowledge discovery last year. Last month, it added features to update customer-service software, send custom emails from meeting reports, and stay updated on topics using internal and web knowledge.
The market for meeting notetakers is becoming increasingly feature-rich. Last September, competitor Granola introduced "recipes"—repeatable prompts to surface knowledge from meetings. This week, another startup, Quill, emerged from stealth with $6.5 million in funding, offering automation that connects to tools like Linear, Notion, and CRMs.