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What are AI notetakers in online meetings, how to recognise and remove them and why they are not permitted

AI notetakers are automated bots that join online meetings in Microsoft Teams and Zoom to record, transcribe, and summarise conversations and should not be used (except Microsoft Copilot)

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📌 What Are AI Notetakers?

AI notetakers are automated bots that join online meetings in Microsoft Teams and Zoom to record, transcribe, and summarise conversations. Popular examples include:

  • Otter.ai
  • Fireflies.ai
  • Fathom
  • Avoma

These tools are often used by individuals to capture meeting notes without manual effort.


🚫 Why AI Notetakers Are Not Permitted

In our organisation, AI notetakers are not allowed in meetings for the following reasons:

  • 🔐 Privacy risks: These bots may record sensitive or confidential information.
  • 📤 Data security: Transcripts are often stored on third-party servers outside our control.
  • 📜 Compliance: Use of such tools may breach data protection regulations (e.g. GDPR).
  • 🤝 Transparency: These bots can join silently, without everyone’s knowledge or consent.

👀 How to Recognise an AI Notetaker

AI notetakers usually appear in the meeting participant list with names like:

  • “Otter.ai Notetaker”
  • “Fireflies.ai”
  • “Fathom Recorder”
  • “AI Assistant”

They often join as guests or anonymous users, and may not have a camera or microphone enabled.


🧹 How to Remove an AI Notetaker

If you spot an AI notetaker in your meeting:

  1. Open the Participants panel.
  2. Click the three dots (···) next to the suspicious name.
  3. Select Remove from meeting.

✅ What You Can Use Instead

If you need help with meeting notes, Microsoft's Copilot in Microsoft Teams works securely within our Microsoft 365 environment and complies with our data policies.

Copilot in Microsoft Teams does require a license. Please read this article for more information: