Service Update 2026-04-17
Simona Fallavollita
Administrator
This update will be applied on the following dates:
- Australia, Asia Pacific, and Japan: After business hours on Friday, April 17th
- Canada: After business hours on Monday, April 20th
- Europe and North America: After business hours on Tuesday, April 21st
Introducing Video Summarization with Elai
The Video Summarization feature lets you convert any full-length Panopto recording into a concise, AI-generated Elai video — directly from the Panopto interface.
Using the video's transcript, Elai automatically generates a structured outline and script, which you can review, edit, and publish as a polished shortened video. The resulting video can then be exported back to Panopto to be shared alongside or in place of the original recording.
- Generate Automatic Summaries: Select the AI Summary option from the video menu to be redirected to Elai. From there, you can prompt the AI to summarize the entire video or specific segments.
- Availability: This feature is available to Admins, Creators, and Videographers on accounts with Elai and SSO enabled. Please note that videos must have a transcript to be supported.
Learn more about creating a video summary. You can also reach out to your Account Manager or visit our Elai page to learn more about Elai.
Accessibility Updates
Bulk Accessibility Services APIs: We’ve expanded our API suite to include two new APIs for bulk requesting Captions, Audio Descriptions, and Translations as well as a previewing the associated costs of services before making purchases.
- POST /api/v1/accessibility/bulk/preview
- POST /api/v1/accessibility/bulk/schedule
This release also includes significant updates to ensure compliance with WCAG standards:
- Adding labels to several icons in the header and main navigation to ensure they announce clear, functional titles instead of internal system icon names.
- Updates to the structural layout of our page headers to improve the discoverability of the search function and ensure a more intuitive navigation experience for users of assistive technologies. This update ensures compliance with WCAG guidelines
- Modifications to Table View column headers (Name, Duration, and Date) to ensure they are fully accessible and interactive for users of assistive technologies.
- Updates to the header navigation within the Interactive Viewer to ensure users of assistive technology can identify their current location within the folder hierarchy. The folder element in the header has been updated to include the active folder name within its accessible label.
- Changes to the "More" options menu (the three-dot icon) within the Interactive Viewer's Notes tab to improve clarity for users of assistive technology.
- The button has been relabeled from "More" to "Actions". This change ensures that screen reader users (such as those using VoiceOver on Safari) receive a clear indication that activating the button will provide a list of functional tasks.
- The tooltips and accessible names have been synchronized to provide a consistent experience across both visual hover and keyboard focus.
- Improvements to the screen reader experience on the "Everything" tab by moving the decorative playlist icon outside of the heading. By removing non-text content from the heading tag, the tab now correctly appears as "Everything" in screen reader heading lists and navigation menus.
- Updates to the Folder Picker component to improve navigation for users relying on assistive technology. This ensures that screen readers now correctly identify and announce the purpose of the directory list, allowing users to navigate their folder structures with greater clarity and confidence.
Other Enhancements
Panopto Core
- Video access request emails can now include the video owner’s full name and username. This eliminates the need for manual lookups in shared folders, allowing admins to route requests to creators immediately.
- Resolved an issue where Audio Descriptions would sometimes enable by default regardless of viewer settings.
- Fixed a bug in the video player to ensure caption preferences are strictly honored across all interactivity settings.
Connect
- To reduce confusion for unauthorized visitors, the "Sign Up" button is now hidden on restricted portals where access is invitation-only. The button remains visible for sign up required portals to ensure easy registration for new users.
These changes will be automatically applied to your site following this release (no additional action required).