"Employers are facing a new workplace hazard: AI notetakers that don't know when to stop listening. In some virtual meetings, employees drop off the call while an AI assistant stays behind, quietly documenting gossip or disparaging remarks made by remaining employees, then emailing the transcript to the full team. "Those issues create some of the most excruciating problems," says Joe Lazzarotti, an attorney at Jackson Lewis who is increasingly advising companies on AI notetaker mishaps."
"AI notetakers don't always spell bad news. A new study from AI assistant startup Read AI in partnership with organizational behavior expert Rebecca Hinds found that recorded meetings lead individual contributors to speak nearly as much as managers, with women participating 9% more than men. Still, the recording and dissemination of sensitive conversations creates real legal and HR risks. Lazzarotti advises leaders to conduct a full AI audit before problems surface,"
"Companies can also set clear rules around when AI notetakers are appropriate, require explicit disclosure and consent before recording begins, and limit how transcripts are distributed, avoiding automatic emails to entire teams. Some organizations are opting for summaries instead of verbatim transcripts or giving meeting hosts a "kill switch" to stop recording if conversations drift into sensitive territory. Employee education is critical, too."
AI notetakers can continue recording after attendees leave, capturing gossip or disparaging remarks that may then be emailed to entire teams. Recorded meetings can increase participation equity, with studies showing individual contributors and women speak more, but recording and disseminating sensitive conversations creates legal, HR and privacy risks. Organizations should perform full AI audits to review governance, risk and compliance; determine what data is captured; decide which meetings should be recorded; and control storage and access. Best practices include explicit disclosure and consent, limiting transcript distribution, providing hosts with a kill switch, using summaries instead of verbatim transcripts, and educating employees.
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