AI meeting notes: record, summarise and follow up
Stop taking notes with half your attention. Let software write them, then spend five minutes checking what it wrote.
It listens, so you can pay attention.
An AI notetaker records the conversation, turns speech into a written transcript, and then summarises it: what was discussed, what was decided and who agreed to do what. The summary arrives a few minutes after the call ends. You stop writing notes with half your attention and start listening with all of it.
There are two kinds. Some are built into the meeting software you already use. Others are separate products that either join the call as a visible participant or record quietly from your own computer.
Check what you already pay for.
Links go to each provider. Features depend on your plan.
The built-in option is usually the right first choice. It needs no new account, the notes stay inside the system that already holds your email and files, and guests see a familiar recording notice.
Useful when you meet on more than one platform.
A notetaker that joins as a participant is visible to everyone, which is honest but can make a client meeting feel formal. One that records from your device is discreet, which means telling people is entirely up to you. Either way, tell them.
Tell people, every time.
A recording of a meeting contains personal data: voices, names, opinions, sometimes health or financial details. In the UK that brings data protection law into play. The practical version is short.
- Say so at the start. “I am using a notetaker to record and summarise this. Is that all right with everyone?” If anyone objects, switch it off.
- Do not record sensitive conversations by default. Disciplinary meetings, medical details and anything a person would not expect to be stored need more thought.
- Know where the recording goes. A separate notetaker stores it on that company's servers. Check how long it is kept and who in your team can see it.
- Delete what you do not need. Keep the summary and actions. The full recording rarely needs to live for ever.
The Information Commissioner's Office has guidance on AI and data protection if you want the detail.
Work out the time.
What do notes cost you now?
Move the sliders to match your week.
Based on your numbers, 46 working weeks and a 7.5-hour day. A notetaker will not remove all of it: you still read and correct the summary.
A prompt to copy
Before, during, after.
Before
Ask an assistant to turn your rough aims into a short agenda with a time against each item.
During
Tell people it is recording. Say decisions and names out loud so the transcript captures them.
After
Read the summary within the hour. Correct names, numbers and anything it misheard.
Follow up
Ask for a short email listing actions and owners. See the email guide.
What notetakers get wrong.
- Names and jargon. Unusual names, product codes and accents are misheard. Check them.
- Who said what. Speaker labels are less reliable in a room with one microphone than on a call.
- Tone. “We will think about it” reads as agreement in a summary. You were there; you know it was a no.
- Actions nobody stated. Some tools invent a tidy owner for a task that was left hanging. The prompt above tells it not to.
The summary is a draft of the minutes. It is still your job to approve them.
More in this series.
All seven guides: AI for business, the full series.
Questions we get asked.
Short answers, in plain English.
Do I need permission to record a meeting with an AI notetaker?
Tell everyone at the start and give them the chance to object. A recording contains personal data, so be open about it, keep it only as long as you need it and know where it is stored.
Which AI notetaker is best for a small business?
Start with the one built into the meeting tool you already use: Copilot in Teams, “take notes for me” in Google Meet, or Zoom AI Companion. Add a separate tool only if you meet across several platforms.
Can AI take notes in a face-to-face meeting?
Yes. Record the audio on a phone or laptop, with everyone's agreement, then upload it to an assistant and ask for decisions and actions.
How accurate are AI meeting summaries?
Good on the main points, weaker on names, numbers and who agreed to what. Read every summary before you send it to anyone.
Want AI set up properly in your business?
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