Why Human Input Still Matters

Can AI really take minutes

I’ve been working with a particular client for 2 years, supporting them with a variety of admin tasks. Recently, they asked me to step in and take their board minutes on a temporary basis while they trialled some AI note-taking tools. 

They wanted to see how the technology compared to having me prepare the minutes so for a few meetings, I took the minutes as usual, while two different AI apps were also tested alongside me. 

The results were really interesting. 

The AI tools did a great job of capturing what was said, word-for-word. But that was also the problem; they captured everything. The notes came back very literal, with no real distinction between side comments, off-topic discussions, or the main decisions. They also missed the subtle context that often makes board minutes useful and easy to follow. 

What I did

My minutes, highlighted the key points, captured the meaning behind discussions, and pulled out the actions that actually mattered.  

Instead of a raw transcript, the client had a clear, structured record they could rely on. 

The Result

In the end, the client decided to keep me on for their quarterly minutes. As they put it, “AI gave us notes, but they didn’t feel like minutes.” 

This experience showed that while AI can be a handy tool, there’s still no substitute for the human touch especially when it comes to understanding context and presenting information in a way that’s genuinely useful.