AI meeting notes · Kent or video
AI meeting notes, set up safely and sent to the right place
An AI note-taker can turn a meeting into a summary and an action list minutes after it ends. Before you switch one on, it helps to know which tool you already pay for, what the UK rules say about recording people, and where the notes should go.
£195 · 2 hours
Based in Kent, working with businesses across the UK: on site in Kent, by video anywhere else.
What an AI note-taker actually does
It does two separate jobs. First it transcribes, turning speech into text with a guess at who said what. Then an AI model summarises the transcript into notes and tasks. The transcript is the record; the summary is the AI's reading of it, and it can miss a half-said decision or give an action to the wrong person.
Some note-takers are built into Teams, Google Meet and Zoom. Others, such as Otter and Fireflies, are separate services, which means another company holding recordings of your conversations, so read their terms before anyone signs up with a work email. If you're on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, the wider set-up is covered under Microsoft Copilot training and Gemini for Google Workspace.
Note-taker options compared
| Option | What you need | Cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teams intelligent recap | Teams Premium or a Microsoft Copilot licence, with transcription on | Teams Premium £7.70 per user a month; Copilot Business £16.10 (£13.80 offer until 31 December 2026) | Notes, suggested tasks, chapters and speaker markers |
| Google Meet: Take notes for me | Workspace Business Standard or Plus (not Starter), or Google AI Pro or Ultra | Business Standard £11.80 per user a month | Notes in a Google Doc and a recap email to the organiser |
| Zoom (assistant now branded ZoomMate) | A Zoom account | Free: summaries for 3 hosted meetings a month. Workplace Pro, unlimited summaries, $14.16 a month billed yearly | Meeting summaries inside Zoom |
| Otter | A separate account | Free: 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation. Pro $8.33 a month billed yearly | Transcripts and AI chat about them |
| Fireflies | A separate account | Free with limited AI summaries. Pro $10 a seat a month billed yearly | Transcripts and AI summaries |
| ChatGPT record mode | Plus, Pro, Business or Enterprise | Plus £20 a month; Business £15 per user a month billed yearly | Notes from a recording |
Checked October 2026. Microsoft and Google prices are UK, excluding VAT, paid yearly. Zoom, Otter and Fireflies publish US dollar prices only.
The UK rules, in plain English
We're not lawyers, and for anything sensitive you should take proper advice. These points from the ICO's UK GDPR guidance matter most for everyday meetings.
- Tell people, at the timePeople have a right to be told how their personal data is used when it's collected. On AI, the ICO says be upfront and explain your purposes.
- Calls with customersCallers must be told a call is recorded and why. The ICO says recording every call is not usually proportionate.
- Sensitive detailsA transcript that captures someone's health or beliefs holds special category data. Where that's likely, the ICO expects a data protection impact assessment first.
- People can ask for itRecordings can be disclosed in response to a subject access request, so assume anything said could be read back.
- Delete on a scheduleKeep recordings and transcripts only as long as you need them, and set the tool to delete them automatically.
- Client confidentialityProfessional rules can go further. The SRA's August 2026 warning notice says client data should go into AI tools only with suitable safeguards.
Words to say at the start of a recorded meeting
"We'd like to use an AI tool to transcribe this meeting and produce notes and actions. Everyone here gets the notes, and the recording is deleted after a month. Is everyone happy with that?"
If anyone says no, switch it off. Google Meet shows everyone a pencil icon while it takes notes, but a spoken sentence covers guests who don't notice. Note-takers deserve a line in your AI policy too.
How we set it up
-
Use what you already have
We start with what your Microsoft or Google plan includes, and only add a licence or separate service if it's really needed. -
Get the settings right
Who can start a recording, whether it joins meetings with outside guests, how long recordings are kept and who sees the notes. -
Send notes where they're useful
Actions emailed to attendees, full notes filed with the right client or project, and a checking step before anything goes out.
Three ways to get it done
Learn it
One-to-one coaching
£195 · 2 hours
Set up note-taking in your own tools and practise on a real recording.
Book and pay onlineQuick win
Part of an AI Kick-Start
£395 · half a day
Meeting notes as one of three quick wins set up on site, with a written plan for the rest.
About the Kick-StartAutomated
Notes that file themselves
From £395
Each meeting turned into an action list and filed, quoted after a free call.
AI automationQuestions people ask
Is it legal to record a meeting with AI in the UK?
Recording isn't banned, but data protection law expects you to tell people, explain why and keep the recording only as long as you need it. For HR or client matters, take legal advice.
Do we need permission to transcribe a Teams or Zoom call?
Everyone should be told at the time that the call is being transcribed and why. Asking whether people are happy, and switching it off if not, is the safer habit.
Is there a free AI note taker?
Zoom's free plan includes summaries for three hosted meetings a month, Otter's free plan gives 300 minutes a month, and Fireflies has a free plan with limited summaries (checked October 2026).
Does Microsoft Teams take meeting notes automatically?
Not on a standard licence. Intelligent recap needs Teams Premium or a Microsoft Copilot licence, with transcription switched on.
Are AI meeting notes accurate?
Useful on a clear call, but they slip on names, numbers and people talking over each other. Whoever chaired the meeting should check the actions before they're sent.
Who you'll work with
James Hayes Consulting is led by Ross Hayes, who builds software for his own businesses and uses AI tools in them every day. We set AI up on your real work, explain it in plain English, and tell you straight if something isn’t worth paying for.
Every project starts with a free 15-minute call, and prices are agreed in writing before you commit.
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