Google releases a new local-first Granola competitor

Google released Google AI Edge Foresight, a Mac app that competes with AI note-takers such as Granola. The same team earlier in April shipped an AI-powered dictation tool that worked with local models.

The app operates completely offline using the on-device EmbeddingGemma 2 model, which has 740 million parameters, to capture meeting notes across apps, including in-person meetings. It presents a split-screen view where users write shorthand notes on one side and AI-generated notes appear on the other. Like Granola, it allows manual note-taking while transcribing the meeting. Users can also view the meeting transcript or chat with the Gemma 4-powered assistant to get answers.

Beyond transcription, users can upload documents including PDFs, Google Docs, Microsoft Office formats, plain text, Markdown, and web bookmarks to build a knowledge base. The app can answer questions in real time using meeting notes and documents when a relevant point comes up.

Google's FAQ page states that Google AI Edge Foresight is optimized for Apple Silicon and can work fully offline, so meeting notes remain usable while traveling or without an internet connection. The earlier dictation app was experimental and did not reach mainstream usage, while the new note-taker may serve to showcase the offline Gemma series. The report also notes Google could release a consumer version of the note-taker that works across video calling apps through its Gemini apps using cloud models.

The meeting note-taker space is crowded. In recent 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.

Why it matters: For developers and product teams, Google is offering a meeting note-taker that runs fully offline on Apple Silicon, letting users work without an internet connection and upload their own documents as a knowledge base.