Feature
AI Chat turns every video into an interactive knowledge base. Instead of scrubbing a timeline to find the answer to a specific question, just ask VidNotes. The AI reads the full transcript, finds the relevant sections, and gives you a clear answer with references to the exact timestamps where that info shows up. Think of it as having a conversation with the person in the video. After transcribing a two-hour product strategy meeting, you can ask 'What was the timeline discussed for the mobile launch?' and get a direct answer citing the exact minutes, without watching a second of footage. The chat interface uses the same OpenAI models that power summaries, accessed through AIProxy, but applied in a retrieval-augmented pattern that searches the transcript for relevant passages before generating each response.
After transcribing, open the AI Chat panel. Type any question about the video, from simple factual ones like 'What date was mentioned for the deadline?' to analytical ones like 'What were the main arguments for and against the proposal?' The AI works against the full transcript, not just keyword-matched fragments.
VidNotes searches the transcript, finds the most relevant passages, and generates a clear answer using OpenAI models through AIProxy. Every response includes timestamp citations so you can verify the source. Tap a citation to jump straight to that moment in the video player and hear the original statement in its full conversational context.
Ask follow-up questions to dig deeper. The AI keeps context from your conversation, so you can refine without repeating yourself. Ask 'Can you elaborate on that?' or 'What did they say about that topic later?' and it'll know you're referring to the previous exchange, searching for more relevant passages in the transcript.
Students reviewing lectures
Ask specific questions like 'What did the professor say about the Treaty of Versailles?' instead of replaying the whole lecture. Build a study workflow where you generate flashcards from the transcript and then use AI Chat to clarify the concepts you find tricky, all without leaving VidNotes.
Researchers analyzing interviews
Query multiple interview transcripts with targeted questions to surface themes and contradictions across sources. Ask analytical questions like 'What reasons did the interviewee give for changing their approach?' and get synthesized answers pulled from multiple moments in the conversation.
Teams catching up on meetings
Ask 'What was decided about the Q2 budget?' and get the answer with the exact moment it was discussed. Team members in different time zones can query the recording on their own time, getting the specific info relevant to their work without watching the full meeting or waiting for someone to write notes.
AI Chat isn't a simple keyword search. It uses the same OpenAI language models through AIProxy that power summaries to understand what you're asking and find contextually relevant answers. Ask 'What were the main criticisms?' and the AI will find passages expressing negative opinions even if the word 'criticism' was never used. The system processes the full transcript to build a semantic understanding of the content, so it connects questions to answers even when your phrasing is nothing like the speaker's words.
Citations are a core part of every response. Instead of trusting the AI's answer on faith, tap any citation to jump to that exact moment in the video and hear the original context. That makes AI Chat a research tool, not just a convenience feature. In academic, legal, or journalistic work where accuracy matters, being able to verify every claim against the source in one tap changes how you can work with video. The citation system uses the same timestamp-linked transcript segments stored in SwiftData that power tap-to-jump navigation throughout VidNotes.
Conversation history is kept for the length of your session, so natural follow-ups like 'Can you elaborate on that?' or 'What did they say about that topic later in the video?' just work. The AI accumulates context as you ask more, making later answers more precise. You can build a line of inquiry across multiple questions, narrowing from broad topics to specific details, the way you'd interview someone who knows a subject well.
Start with a free account. Paste a video link and see it in action.