The developers of Xmind have taken their experimental AI platform, Chatmind, to a whole new level with the recent launch of version 4.0.
The main focus of Chatmind 4.0 is helping users tackle information overload. It does this by enabling you to create mind maps based on the contents of a variety of media, including:
- Documents
- Websites
- YouTube videos
- Images
- Audio files
Because most of the longer-form content we consume contains knowledge and insights we need to extract, this tool has the potential to be a real time-saver. As the Chatmind blog observes, it can “turn hours of work into minutes of clarity.”
So let’s take a closer look!
Chatmind 4.0’s efficient user interface
The screen is laid out in two panels: the main work area and a panel to the right where your conversation with the AI engine takes place. This means that you create your prompts and review the AI agent’s answers in a place that is separate from your mind map. You can then decide which elements to accept and add to your map and what needs further refinement via additional prompts in the AI window.
I like this arrangement a lot. I’m not a fan of mind mapping tools that immediately insert AI-generated content into your maps. Call me a control freak, but it’s a pet peeve of mine.
On the left side of the workspace is a vertical toolbar that enables you to perform common operations. It can be collapsed to create greater room for your mind maps. I really like this functionality, because sometimes you just want to view your mind map in a larger form with a minimum of distractions. Chatmind does this very elegantly.
Experimenting with the video summarizing tool
Chatmind claims it can summarize almost any type of content using the power of its AI engine – ChatGPT. It does give you the option of selecting version 4.5 of the popular AI agent. I highly recommend using it, because it’s more intelligent than previous versions.
It was time to put Chatmind 4.0 to the test. My results with it were mixed, as you’ll see. But I’m sure the shortcomings I encountered will be fixed over time as this intriguing AI-enhanced mind mapping tool evolves
First, entered the URL of a five-minute YouTube video that summarizes the plot of a new Netflix science fiction series, Three Body Problem. Surprisingly quickly, it concisely and intelligently summarized the contents of this video in mind map form.
Next, I took the AI engine up on its offer to generate a map image based on the contents of my mind map. I had to upgrade to Chatmind Pro to do this (US$20 per month), but the results were well worth it.
It quickly generated a beautiful illustration of celestial bodies in space. I clicked the button to add it to my mind map and it was immediately added to the map’s central topic
(click to expand the image below).
Much of the content on ChatGPT is based on existing web content. So I did a Google Lens search of the image to determine if the AI agent swiped it from somewhere. I discovered dozens of images of similar style, but none was a copy of mine. So I’m safe from copyright infringement, as far as I can tell.
Summarizing an audio file in Chatmind 4.0
I also tried having Chatmind 4.0 analyze an audio file, but ran into some problems. First of all, the usability of the audio upload dialog box isn’t very good. You can either select an audio file or drag and drop it into the box, which then causes the file to start uploading. But there’s no user feedback to show the progress of the upload.
Meanwhile, the generate map button below tI is unresponsive. It would be nice if I could see what’s going on – whether the delay is due to my file uploading or if it’s caused by a processing delay on the server end. Or perhaps the button can change color once your audio file has finished upload. Right now, it’s kind of a mystery.
The other challenge I encountered was that Chatmind 4.0 currently restricts audio files to 15 MB. That’s a very small file size! I scoured the hard drive of my laptop for 15 minutes, looking for a file that was small enough for the upload tool to accept.
The average podcast, online interview or audio instruction session lasts at least 20-30 minutes. Thai is also the amount of content where an AI analysis is worthwhile.
If you’ve never edited or created audio files before, their sizes are based on tow factors: The length of the recording and the level of its quality. A lower bit rate equals a smaller file size. A longer audio, recorded at a higher bit rate, may be 25 MB or more in size.
The only file on my hard drive that met this restrictive file size was a “hot seat“ session from a course I purchased In it, a course creator brings a student on a live call and gives them feedback on their work, live. The recording I found sounded like a phone call, complete with slightly distorted and fuzzy voices.
Charmind was unable to interpret this file. I tried it twice and it failed both times. Once again, because I had no user feedback, I don’t know why. This is something that the development team should certainly pay some attention to in future versions of Chatmind – both in terms of file size and the user experience.
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