Improving meetings with AI

It’s undeniable; the physical logistics behind the way we work has changed forever. With strong adoption in recent years of hybrid and fully-remote working models, we still know all too well the pressures of meeting-heavy days – with data showing that working professionals are spending anywhere between 35% to a whopping 50% of their working day in meetings.

Society may have taken huge leaps forward in optimising work/life balance or reducing commute times, but there are still strides to be taken when it comes to maximising productivity on meeting-dense days.

Of course, meetings play a crucial role in both business communication and decision-making, but now is the time to leverage the helping hand of AI technology to help boost efficiency and truly capitalise on some of the recent developments, such as AI meeting assistants, to make sure businesses are getting the most out of their precious time.‍

Giving back time‍

When it comes to meetings, more often than not, a good deal of time is spent scheduling, checking diaries, creating agendas and following up with notes or actions; those minutes turn into hours and time is quickly swallowed up. An AI assistant can automate the more mundane tasks and free up valuable time for more critical aspects of meetings.

Be it automatically scheduling meetings by analysing the availability of all participants, issuing calendar invites and managing RSVPs, or generating and distributing agendas, and offering transcripts of meeting notes; the sought-after luxury of time becomes far more accessible through the use of an AI-powered meeting assistant.‍

Cohesive collaboration‍

Without collaboration from different parties, any meeting is futile. During the meeting, capitalising on real-time communication, such as AI suggestions based on previous discussions or participant feedback, is simply invaluable when it comes to maximising collective input.

An AI meeting assistant can also provide real-time feedback on the efficacy of presentations, sentiment analysis and ensure that participants are engaged with the material and understand the takeaways, even utilising information from previous meetings to address any challenging questions raised in the meeting.‍

Making it personal‍

We know that there is no such thing as one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to the workforce; whether it’s people processing information in different ways, drawing energy from different motivations or simply how we learn; an AI assistant can learn from previous meetings and personalise its approach to future conversations. By analysing people’s preferences and preferred communication styles, it is possible to tailor meeting processes accordingly, such as identifying those who prefer a brief and concise update, versus the people who require a more detailed explanation.

For those who find writing their own notes a distraction, an AI assistant can ease that strain, or simply aiding with language barriers by translating notes in real time.‍

Improved decision-making‍

Meetings often involve decision-making processes that require input from various stakeholders; a process which we all know to be more than a little laborious at times.

An AI assistant can facilitate these processes by providing relevant data and insights to those needing to sign off. For instance, it can provide data analysis on the impact of a proposed decision or identify potential risks and opportunities. It can also suggest alternative solutions and provide real-time feedback on the feasibility and effectiveness of proposed decisions.

By leveraging these capabilities, organizations can make informed decisions efficiently, enhancing their competitiveness and agility, while removing bottlenecks from key decision making.‍

Efficient Follow-up‍

After a meeting, follow-up tasks such as sending out meeting minutes, assigning action items, and monitoring progress can be time-consuming; occasionally tasked to a junior member of the team already struggling to stay abreast of an increasing workload.

An AI assistant can automate these tasks, ensuring that they are completed efficiently and accurately. Be it generating meeting minutes and distributing them to participants, assigning action items to relevant stakeholders, and monitoring progress and completion; by taking on the heavy lifting of these tasks, participants can focus on their valuable contributions and core responsibilities, and organisations can ensure that follow-up items are completed promptly and effectively.

Though there are still mixed feelings around the impact of artificial intelligence in the workplace, it is abundantly clear that there are many tools and technologies that can both enhance and ease the average working day. AI assistants for meetings can bring numerous benefits to organizations of all sizes and sectors – from streamlining scheduling and reducing the legwork around decision-making, to quite literally tailoring takeaways to each participant. By leveraging these capabilities, businesses can increase their productivity, efficiency and ultimately, commercial goals, by better leveraging the time of their people and teams to focus on driving true value instead of drowning in the daily admin of old.