Can AI make meetings more productive? Evon Blomstedt, Founder & Group CEO of HUONE, spends hours in meetings—sometimes back-to-back all day. To stay focused and organized, she’s been using AI note-takers for nearly two years. In this article, she shares what works, what doesn’t, and whether AI can truly replace human note-taking. Is it the game-changer your meetings need? Let’s dive in!
AI is increasingly being used in today’s fast-paced business world. How many different tools are you using? As a founder of a meeting industry business, I am particularly interested in how AI can be adopted in our industry.
In this blog I want to share with you my observation on: AI-powered note-taking tools that have emerged as a valuable asset in the meeting scene. Personally, I have been using AI note-takers for almost two years. I have witnessed firsthand how these tools have evolved and how different players have entered the market. But with their benefits come limitations, and it’s essential to understand both to make informed choices. So, is an AI Note-taker for you?
So, what is an AI Note-Taker?
An AI note-taker is an intelligent software tool that automatically transcribes, summarizes, and organizes meeting content in real-time. It captures (almost) everything said in the meeting, processes the conversation, and provides an actionable summary afterward. Some AI note-takers even identify speakers, highlight key points, and integrate with productivity tools like calendars and project management software.
Popular AI note-takers available today include:
- Otter.ai – Offers live transcription, speaker identification, and summary highlights.
- Bubbles Note-Taker – Provides automatic summaries and integrates well with various meeting platforms.
- Fireflies.ai – Focuses on transcription accuracy and searchable meeting archives.
- Fathom – Provides AI-driven insights and integrates with CRM tools.
While many services offer free versions with basic features, more advanced functionalities often come with a subscription fee ranging from 10-30 dollar per user per month, making it important to assess whether the investment is justified for your needs.
Let’s start with the Benefits of AI Note-Takers
From my experience, using an AI note-taker has brought me several advantages:
● Better Focus During Meetings: I am so bad at multi-tasking. Instead of being preoccupied with taking notes, I can now fully engage in the conversation, knowing that everything is being recorded and summarized later. This helps improve my participation and decision-making.
● Convenient Summaries and Action Items: AI note-takers automatically generate concise summaries and action lists, which can be shared via email with participants (optional). This makes follow-ups more efficient and reduces the risk of missing crucial points. Personally, I really value the fact that I can properly review the notes from the last meeting before attending the next meeting.
● Time-Saving Features: The ability to play back meeting recordings at 1.5x or 2x speed allows me to quickly revisit discussions and ensure I haven’t missed any details. This feature is particularly useful when preparing for follow-up meetings or making key decisions.
● Enhanced Meeting Documentation: AI note-takers can be a great asset when drafting official meeting minutes, ensuring accuracy (to an extent) and completeness without relying solely on manual note-taking.
● Supporting Hybrid and Remote Work: With the rise of hybrid and remote work, AI note-takers provide a reliable solution to keep everyone aligned and informed, whether they attended the meeting or not.
Now the Limitations and Challenges You Should Be Aware Of
Despite the benefits, AI note-takers are not without their flaws. Some key limitations I have observed include:
● Speaker Identification Issues: In meetings where multiple people speak through the same device, the note-taker struggles to differentiate voices, often attributing comments incorrectly or grouping participants under a single speaker.
● Accuracy Challenges: AI is still prone to many errors, especially when it comes to recognizing industry-specific terms, complex jargon, or accents. Many AI note-takers struggle with transcribing non-native English speakers or handling multilingual conversations accurately. In one of my meetings, the tool misinterpreted “HUONE” as some other word that was highly inappropriate, which was super awkward and unfortunately circulated to stakeholders.
● Privacy and Consent Considerations: Not everyone is comfortable with being recorded, and some participants may feel their privacy is compromised. It’s crucial to inform attendees in advance and obtain consent to ensure ethical use. Some may even behave differently under recording. There is also the matter of data security and confidentiality risks that not every organisation can agree to.
● Lack of Context Awareness: One major drawback of AI note-takers is their lack of contextual understanding and filtering. Unlike human note-takers who can distinguish between official agenda points and casual conversations, AI note-takers capture everything—whether it’s business-related or not. This can lead to unnecessary clutter in meeting records and, in some cases, inappropriate documentation of private or off-topic conversations that should not be part of the official record.
● Over-Reliance on AI: A major concern is that participants might engage less during meetings, assuming they can always catch up via summaries later. This passive participation can impact the effectiveness of discussions and decision-making.
● Subscription Costs: AI note-taking services can become a significant expense, especially if multiple employees require access. Organizations must carefully evaluate the cost-benefit ratio before committing to a paid plan.
Alternatives to AI Note-Takers
While AI note-takers offer great convenience, traditional meeting recording features such as those available in Microsoft Teams and Google Meet can also serve as an alternative. These platforms allow full meeting recordings that can be revisited later, albeit without automatic transcription or summaries. However, they require manual review, which can be time-consuming.
The Future of AI Note-Taking: Live Meeting Integration
A fascinating development in AI note-taking is its expansion beyond virtual meetings to in-person, live meetings. Some tools now offer the ability to capture discussions in face-to-face settings, which could revolutionize the way meetings are documented in physical spaces. While this is promising, the current version is still full of errors. It also raises questions about whether it can truly match the dynamics and engagement of human note-takers.
My Final Thoughts: This is a Tool, Not a Replacement
AI note-takers are undoubtedly a valuable tool that can enhance productivity and ensure better meeting documentation. However, they should be used with caution and awareness of their limitations. As a user, I recommend leveraging them as a support tool rather than a complete replacement for human attention and participation in meetings.
Ultimately, the key is to strike the right balance—embracing AI for its efficiency while maintaining the human touch that is vital for meaningful collaboration and engagement. For now, I have used and will continue to use one within my company but it is not for everyone.
