The One AI Tool Every Working Professional Needs

And why you should use it

I’m talking about using an AI notetaker tool during virtual and in-person meetings.

Let me give you –

• All the reasons (that I can think of) why you should use one

• Why the time is right

• How to select the right one for your needs

• AI notetaker tool etiquette

🧬But first, some science-

There was a time decades ago when company bosses had a dedicated typist or stenographer to take notes while he (I’m not being sexist here; there were very few female bosses back then) dictated his thoughts. Watch old Hollywood movies from the 1940s/50s including some James Bond ones and you’ll see what I mean.

Today, we see fewer team managers (the word ‘boss’ is also becoming kinda obsolete) hiring official human notetakers as organizational cultures have become less hierarchical, personnel costs are managed more judiciously and technology has provided us with tools to do more tasks without external support.

Stereotypes, sexism, power trips and social issues aside, there is scientific evidence which shows that the human brain cannot multitask well i.e. perform multiple tasks at the same time such as listening, thinking and typing or writing such as during meetings. Multitasking can be done. It just cannot be done well. It negatively impacts performance.

This is especially true when the key role of the participant in the meeting is to inform decision-making or complete other tasks that require cognitive functions such as memory and attention. The academic research on this finding is pretty solid.

💭All the reasons I can think of -

I started using an AI notetaker because I experienced first-hand the challenges of trying to ‘do it all’ during meetings. I’m sure there are more reasons than the ones listed here. But, these are the benefits based on my personal experience using an AI notetaker tool.

• Improves in-meeting focus and creativity - to me, this is the most important one in terms of upleveling performance. It has been a game-changer. As a consultant, I participate in multiple meetings every single week either to acquire or share new knowledge. I need to respond thoughtfully and develop creative solutions that drive business impact.

  
  When the AI tool is recording all the details, it frees me to engage without the burden of typing it all out in real-time. Even if you are junior in your role, it is a good practice to maintain as you grow in your role because it gets your mind acclimatized to thinking freely and creatively.

  

  Image generate by Substack AI

• Saves time - you hastily type/write down to-dos, follow ups, food for thought and other ideas during meetings. Sometimes processing through that information happens after the meeting has ended.

  If you are in back-to-back meetings, the details start to blend together by the end of the day. I discovered that it got much easier once I assigned note taking to the AI tool. All I had to do was go through the tool-generated summaries, make edits as required and then tackle the action items There is still work involved at your end. But, it’s a much smaller workload and less time consuming than without the tool.

• Facilitates collaboration - this varies by tool but the notes taken by the tool can be shared with other attendees or non-attending colleagues without much intervention from you.

• This also leads to easier follow-ups on tasks. The tool keeps a list of action items ready for you to review, edit as needed and follow through.

• Makes you look professional and tech-savvy –esp. in the new AI world, being seen as AI-forward is a good reputation to gain. Even if you aren’t using advanced AI tools as yet, you are warming up with more simple-to-use, utilitarian tools such as the notetaker. It is a useful gateway AI tool in that sense.

  
  Take a look at one such opinion or perspective posted on X about the importance of learning AI.

  
  It might be hyperbole to claim that you would get hired only for your AI-related capabilities but it certainly helps your case.

  

• and you get bragging rights (ok, so maybe this one doesn’t matter as much in the bigger scheme of things!)

⏱️Why the time is right

Yes, AI is all over right now but not all the tools available are advanced enough to use at work. Many of them are built by startups that are still toddlers under 2 years of age. They are still testing their products and fixing issues on the go as they onboard more users. Some of these startups and their tools might survive but most will fail.

If you use those young tools for personal use cases or side hustles aside, go for it. Experiment. Learn. Create. Have fun!

But, if you plan to use them for work, you need something with the right security protocols, sufficient customer support, that has been tested and has stood the test of time to some degree.

Among the growing categories of AI tools, notetakers is one that has been around the longest with companies like Otter AI and Fireflies AI that are almost 10 years old. Hence, the time is right if you’d like to use any of these (and a few others) because they have the infrastructure to support more professional needs.

There are also a ton of uber-cool AI notetaker tools that are new to the market such as Granola AI. But, I would wait to use the latest for work, even if they end up as the greatest, for the aforementioned reasons.

🛠️How to select the right tools..

I’ve written on this topic before and I will link those article in this section. At a high-level, you need to select tools based on a two-level vetting process.

1. At level 1, check for continuity and security, regardless of how you plan to use the product, to lower your risk of losses.
   
   You might strongly consider tools that have

   • been tried and tested by virtue of having existed for a period of time already

   • accumulated a large user base and/or

   • have acquired a list of coveted business (enterprise) customers if the tool is also available to enterprises.

More of the details on these points can be read here.

2. Once you have completed the checks related to the first step, here are some additional ones to take into consideration when selecting an AI tool.

   1. Identify the outcome you are seeking. Are you looking for only auto-generated transcripts and summaries or additional capabilities that also allow you to send emails directly?

   2. Make a list of the features that are ‘must-haves’. These refer to the value adding functions that each tool provides. Make sure that you research each provider for its unique features.

   3. Pricing. Many tools have comparable pricing for similar features for most users. Even though the annual plans often appear attractive because of the potential ‘savings’, unless you are doing a trial or free plan first, I would recommend opting for the monthly plan for at least a month and then switching to annual if you need to. I’ve learned this lesson the hard way!

   4. Quality of output. Make sure you read the reviews about the quality of the output. This really matters a lot for AI tools which sometimes vary on this aspect.

   5. Ethics and Privacy. There are a lot of ethical and privacy concerns related to AI. No one really know how to tackle them at this point. If it matters to you, you should investigate more about your tool.
      

      
      

😇AI note-taker tool etiquette

A couple of points here related to the proper use of AI notetaker tools

1. No matter how great the tool, you must review and check the generated transcripts and summaries for accuracy. Most tools are not yet at a stage where they can be relied upon to capture everything correctly. Make sure you are the human-in-the-loop here!

2. Always take permission from meeting attendees to allow your AI tool to join or record. I start each meeting with transparency and a promise to send the other attendees the notes which can help get them on board. If they seem uncomfortable with it, respect their need for privacy (no questions asked) and immediately kick the tool out of your meeting before continuing the discussion.