Feature
AI Chat turns every video into an interactive knowledge base. Instead of scrubbing through a timeline to find the answer to a specific question, you can ask VidNotes directly. The AI reads the full transcript, finds the relevant sections, and gives you a clear answer with references to the exact timestamps where that information appears. Think of it as having a conversation with the person in the video. For example, 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 where the timeline was discussed, without watching a single second of video. The chat interface uses the same OpenAI models that power summaries, accessed through AIProxy, but applies them in a retrieval-augmented pattern that searches the transcript for relevant passages before generating each response.
After transcribing a video, open the AI Chat panel. Type any question about the video content, from simple factual queries like 'What date was mentioned for the deadline?' to complex analytical questions like 'What were the main arguments for and against the proposal?' The AI processes your question against the full transcript context, not just keyword-matched fragments.
VidNotes searches the transcript, identifies the most relevant passages, and generates a clear answer using OpenAI models through AIProxy. Each response includes timestamp citations so you can verify the source. Citations are tappable, jumping you directly to that moment in the video player so you can hear the original statement in its full conversational context.
Ask follow-up questions to dig deeper. The AI maintains context from your conversation, so you can refine your questions without repeating yourself. Ask 'Can you elaborate on that?' or 'What did they say about that topic later?' and the AI will understand you are referring to the subject of the previous exchange, searching for additional 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 entire lecture. Build a study workflow where you generate flashcards from the transcript and then use AI Chat to clarify concepts you find difficult, 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 that pull 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 asynchronously, getting the specific information relevant to their work without watching the full meeting or waiting for someone to write notes.
AI Chat is not a simple keyword search. It uses the same OpenAI language models accessed through AIProxy that power the summarization engine to understand the meaning of your question and find contextually relevant answers. If you ask 'What were the main criticisms?', 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 can connect questions to answers even when the phrasing differs significantly between your question and the speaker's words.
Citations are a core part of every response. Rather than trusting the AI summary blindly, you can tap any citation to jump to that exact moment in the video and hear the original context. This makes AI Chat a research tool, not just a convenience feature. In academic, legal, or journalistic contexts where accuracy matters, the ability to verify every claim against the source material in one tap transforms how you can work with video content. The citation system uses the same timestamp-linked transcript segments stored in SwiftData that power the tap-to-jump navigation throughout VidNotes.
The conversation history is maintained for the duration of your session, allowing natural follow-up questions like 'Can you elaborate on that?' or 'What did they say about that topic later in the video?'. This session-based memory means the AI accumulates context as you ask more questions, making later answers more precise. You can build a line of inquiry across multiple questions, narrowing from broad topics to specific details, similar to how you would interview a knowledgeable person about a subject.
No account required. Paste a video link and see it in action.