A one-hour meeting produces, with luck, three decisions, four tasks and a lot of nuance. A week later, nobody remembers exactly what was decided or who committed to what. That is what minutes are for, and it is why almost nobody writes them on time: it is thankless work that gets left for later.
AI has changed that equation. Turning a recording into a draft set of minutes takes minutes. But an unchecked draft carries risks, and not everything we call “minutes” carries the same weight. This guide explains how to do it well.
What AI can and cannot do
It does well:
- Transcribing the conversation (Zoom, Teams, Meet or a voice note).
- Summarising the topics discussed in clear text.
- Extracting decisions and tasks, with owner and date when they are mentioned.
- Formatting to your template, so that all minutes look the same.
It does worse, which is why it needs checking:
- Attributing each statement to the right person, especially with similar voices or poor audio.
- Figures, proper names and dates. A “fifteen” that was really “fifty” changes a decision.
- Nuance. A doubt or a condition (“we will do it if the client confirms”) can be lost and turn into a firm decision.
- What was not said aloud, such as a gesture, a document shown on screen or a corridor agreement.
From recording to minutes in five steps
- Tell people and ask permission to record. Before you start, say that the meeting is being recorded and why. More on this below.
- Record with good audio. A decent microphone and one person speaking at a time improve the transcript more than any later tweak.
- Generate the transcript and the draft. Ask the tool for a fixed structure: attendees, summary, decisions, tasks and open points.
- Review it with a person. Compare the draft with the transcript for figures, names and decisions. This is the part you should not automate.
- Send the minutes within 24 hours. The sooner they arrive, the more useful they are and the easier it is for someone to correct a mistake in time.
A simple template
Useful minutes fit on one page:
- Details: date, time, place or link, attendees and apologies.
- Summary: three or four lines with the essentials.
- Decisions: a numbered list, each with one clear sentence.
- Tasks: what, who and by when, in a table.
- Carried over to the next meeting: whatever was left open.
If the meeting recurs, always using the same template saves more time than any tool.
What to tell participants
A voice recording is personal data, and a meeting with clients or suppliers often includes confidential information. Some sensible habits (this is not legal advice):
- Say at the start that the meeting is being recorded, what for (to produce the minutes) and who will have access.
- If anyone objects, do not record: the meeting should not depend on the recording.
- Limit who can access the recording and delete it once the minutes are approved, if you do not need to keep it.
- Mind where it is processed. Ask whether the tool uses your meetings to train its models and where the data is stored. For sensitive meetings, a closed environment is advisable.
When the minutes have formal value
Not all minutes are equal. Those of a board of directors, a shareholders’ meeting or a residents’ association usually have formal requirements: who drafts them, how they are approved and who signs them. In those cases, AI can prepare the draft, but the review, approval and signature belong to the responsible people. Check with your adviser or company secretary what your specific case requires.
For everyday working meetings (with clients, within the team, follow-ups), clear minutes with decisions and tasks are usually enough.
When it pays to delegate
Doing it yourself with a tool works if you have few meetings. When there are many, or when the minutes are always late, it makes sense for someone to take care of the whole circuit: receive the recording, generate the draft, review it and send it to you ready. If that interests you, the meeting minutes and document management service works like that, with a person’s review of every delivery.
And if you are weighing up which admin tasks to outsource first, this guide on outsourcing or hiring will help you decide.