The meeting never ended: AI transcript horror stories
Incident 1.
A VC firm I had a Zoom meeting with used Otter AI to record the call, and after the meeting, it automatically emailed me the transcript, including hours of their private conversations afterward, where they discussed intimate, confidential details about their business.
Incident 2.
Literally happened to my wife today with a grant meeting at work. Whole meeting recorded and annotated. Some folks stayed behind on the call to discuss the meeting privately. Kept recording. Sent it all out to everyone. Suuuuper awkward. The problem here was it wasn’t her team’s choice to use the AI. Someone else on the call was using it and no one else was aware. So, they had no way of knowing they were being recorded. And I find this deeply more concerning.
Incident 3.
I read about someone who had this happen with an interview. They got the transcript of the company talking about why they weren’t a fit.
Root cause?
I use Otter. It shows up as a person on the call. You need to boot it from the meeting if you want to gossip. Mine autojoins things by accident all the time and I dony realize till the host asks.
Some AI call transcript services have a sneaky habit of lingering on calls, silently recording every word long after you think everyone's left.
The advice is easy to write but harder to practice vigilantly:
Always check for unfamiliar participants
Formally end meetings; don't just leave
Save sensitive chats for a separate call
If using an AI transcript service, obviously inform everyone (it's illegal not to in some places)
Review transcripts before sharing
Has an AI transcription service ever caught you off guard? I'd love to hear your story!
Cheers, Craig