Recently, I sat in a virtual meeting room where AI notetakers outnumbered humans. It felt like a sci-fi parody; tools built to help us collaborate were now taking over the room. It got me thinking: Are we solving the problem of meetings or just adding layers of tech to mask their flaws?
Efficiency or Distraction?
AI notetakers like Fathom, Otter, and Fellow promise to be the unsung heroes of virtual meetings. They claim to save time, capture every brilliant idea, and spare us from the mundane task of notetaking. Yet, as they quietly proliferate, they bring a bigger question into focus: Are they helping us meet better, or are they just shiny gadgets distracting us from the real work?
The Problem They Solve
On the surface, AI notetakers solve an obvious problem: the administrative burden of capturing key points from a meeting. But their increasing use highlights a bigger issue; Modern meeting culture is inherently inefficient. Disorganized agendas, distracted participants, and unfocused discussions have long plagued meetings, turning them into a productivity drain rather than a collaboration driver. AI notetakers promise to address these pain points by handling meeting documentation, but they often fail to address the root causes of unproductive meetings.
This inefficiency is not just anecdotal; it’s pervasive. According to research from Atlassian, meetings are “the #1 barrier to productivity” in most companies, with an inefficiency rate of 72%. The cost is staggering. A report by Otter estimates that reducing unnecessary meetings could save businesses around $25,000 per employee annually. These statistics underscore the urgency of going beyond AI-enhanced notetaking to rethink how we approach meetings entirely.
An Opening for Bad Actors
As with any tool, how AI notetakers are used plays a critical role. Disengaged participants, or those avoiding accountability, might misuse them as an excuse to check out entirely. This misuse can lead to meetings dominated by the peculiar reality of having more AI notetakers than actual attendees (as I experienced), raising the question: Who is this meeting truly serving?
Challenges with AI Notetakers
- Disengagement and Disconnection: Over-reliance on AI can lead to disengagement, with participants multitasking or tuning out. Assuming "the AI will get it" undermines collaboration and problem-solving.
- AI Bias and Misinterpretation: AI struggles with subtleties like tone, emotion, and body language. This can result in summaries that miss critical context, particularly in sensitive discussions.
- Dominating Voices: AI captures what is said but not how the conversation unfolds. In meetings where certain voices dominate, AI may reinforce imbalances by disproportionately highlighting louder participants.
- Lack of Personal Insight: While AI efficiently captures facts and generates summaries, it cannot replace the human insights gained through active participation. Emotional and intellectual connections forged in meetings are vital for decision-making.
- Over-Reliance on Technology: As AI tools take on more administrative tasks, there’s a risk of participants becoming overly reliant on them. This can erode accountability, with attendees assuming the AI will handle everything—from taking notes to synthesizing discussions—and contributing less to the actual meeting.
- More Distractions: Ironically, AI notetakers can introduce additional distractions. Participants might spend time reviewing AI-generated notes or summaries during the meeting itself, detracting from their focus on the live discussion.
The Double-Edged Sword of AI Meeting Tools
AI notetakers aren't without merit. In certain scenarios, they have proven invaluable. During one-on-one meetings, they free participants to maintain eye contact and emotional connection while ensuring action items don't slip through the cracks. Team huddles benefit from their ability to create shared knowledge repositories, which are particularly valuable when onboarding new members or tracking decision history. In knowledge transfer sessions like virtual training or webinars, they allow participants to fully immerse themselves in learning rather than frantically scribbling notes.
Yet, these strengths mask deeper limitations. While AI excels at documentation, it does little to enhance the quality of collaboration itself.
The technology's shortcomings become apparent in three critical areas. First, efficiency remains elusive. While AI notetakers offer basic agenda management and action tracking, true meeting productivity stems from focused discussions and clear decision points, not just well-organized notes. Second, they fail to facilitate smarter decisions. AI can summarize what was said but cannot guide participants through complex decision-making processes or ensure optimal conclusions. Most importantly, these tools do nothing to address fundamental meeting dynamics. Power imbalances, disengagement, and the need for inclusive participation remain unchanged, and in some cases, the technology exacerbates these challenges.
The Need for Smarter Meeting Technology
If notetakers aren’t the answer, what is? To truly transform meetings, we need solutions that go beyond documentation. Smarter meeting technology should:
- Guide Decision-Making in Real-Time: Help participants navigate the complexities of discussion by structuring the conversation and highlighting key decision points.
- Ensure Inclusive Participation: Create an environment where every voice is heard and valued, balancing contributions across participants.
- Provide Visual and Analytical Insights: Offer real-time data and visuals to help teams make sense of divergent ideas and converge on actionable outcomes.
To address these challenges, emerging solutions are combining structured workflows, real-time data visualization, and intelligent facilitation. Meahana embodies this approach. Instead of merely capturing what happened, Meahana enables teams to focus on what needs to happen next, driving better collaboration and outcomes.
I'll leave you with this...
AI-powered notetakers are like training wheels. They can keep things steady but cannot take you to the finish line. Meetings need tools that do more than transcribe. They need facilitators, enablers, and navigators for the messy, human work of collaboration. Otherwise, we will keep spinning our wheels, drowning in notes, and wondering why nothing ever seems to get done. The future of meetings isn’t about taking notes; it’s about taking action. If your tools don’t help you get there, maybe it’s time to question why they’re in the room at all.
