Microsoft Chief Scientist Jaime Teevan met with OpenAI founder Sam Altman and CEO Satya Nadella a few years ago, and it was a life-changing experience. Her reaction to this meeting was so intense that she ended up sitting in her car and yelling with excitement at the possibilities AI offered. “I have never done that before, but there was just too much emotion,” she says now. The gathering served as a showcase for the capabilities of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s now-widely-used AI chatbot. Teevan was persuaded, among other things, that AI was about to revolutionize the world of work meetings—which were, for the most part, boring and ineffective.
AI has the ability to do more than only increase the efficiency of laborious jobs, as computing has historically been excellent in doing. AI can contribute to idea generation and reflection, which is a major change from more conventional workplace technology applications. AI has the potential to revolutionize the way that technology supports human pursuits by encouraging creativity and introspection in addition to streamlining regular work.
Though many see meetings at work as a tedious and ineffective requirement, this positive perspective is not widely held. A common belief held by many is that “excessive meetings are the blight of big companies and almost always get worse over time,” as Elon Musk famously said. 72% of meetings are ineffective, according to a global study that verifies this. Further evidence that Zoom meetings might be intellectually taxing comes from studies conducted at Yale University and University College London, which show that brain activity diminishes during these virtual conferences.
The coronavirus pandemic forced many businesses and organizations to shift their meetings online in 2020, leading to the widespread adoption of platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. Despite mixed feelings about these virtual meetings, they are likely to remain a fixture in professional life. Teevan sees this shift as fortuitous, creating an opportunity for AI to positively impact how we conduct meetings.
The three major providers of video meeting technology—Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet—have all introduced AI-powered assistants to enhance their platforms. Zoom’s AI Companion, Teams’ Copilot, and Meet’s Duet AI offer a range of features designed to make meetings more productive. These include transcribing meetings, suggesting questions, summarizing discussions, and even attending meetings on behalf of users in the case of Meet.
Husayn Kassai, founder of the London-based start-up Quench AI, which develops AI-powered training software, predicts that everyone in the workforce will eventually have an AI coach to assist with meetings. Kassai envisions these AI tools making meetings more productive by providing attendees with pertinent information and insights, enabling them to make more valuable contributions. This, he believes, will help meetings accomplish their intended goals more effectively.
Moreover, Kassai suggests that AI could act as a moderator during meetings, offering feedback on participants’ contributions and ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to speak. For instance, the AI could highlight if one person dominated the discussion while another barely spoke, encouraging a more balanced exchange of ideas.
According to Teevan, customers may now summarise video sessions four times more quickly thanks to Microsoft’s Copilot. She does admit, though, that AI is not perfect and that it occasionally makes mistakes or “hallucinates.” Microsoft is aiming to enhance Copilot’s AI prompting in order to lessen this. This entails the AI providing the best responses by rapidly gaining an understanding of the user and their unique requirements.
One common way Teevan uses AI is by asking it what questions she should pose in a meeting. For the AI to provide useful responses, it needs to understand her role and responsibilities. This level of personalization helps the AI deliver more relevant and accurate suggestions.
Business psychologist Jess Barker explains that the widespread dislike for meetings stems from their time-consuming and often ineffectual nature. While AI may help address some of these issues, Barker is skeptical that it will eliminate frustration altogether. Instead, she predicts that new sources of annoyance may arise, such as resentment towards colleagues who consistently rely on AI to attend meetings on their behalf or those who habitually arrive late and use AI to catch up.
Despite these potential pitfalls, Teevan remains optimistic about AI’s ability to improve meetings. She believes that AI can help people feel less overwhelmed, assist them in getting started on tasks, and spark new ideas by providing fresh perspectives and support. By reducing the cognitive load and enhancing creative thinking, AI has the potential to transform meetings from a dreaded obligation into a more engaging and productive experience.
In conclusion, while the adoption of AI in meetings is still in its early stages, the potential benefits are significant. As AI technology continues to evolve, it may address many of the inefficiencies and frustrations associated with traditional meetings. By providing personalized assistance, enhancing productivity, and fostering creativity, AI could redefine how we conduct and experience meetings, making them a more valuable and enjoyable part of professional life.
This perspective on AI’s role in meetings aligns with the broader trend of integrating advanced technology into everyday work processes. The shift from physical to virtual meetings, accelerated by the pandemic, has created a fertile ground for technological innovations. AI’s ability to enhance these virtual interactions signifies a major step forward. It moves beyond merely replicating the traditional meeting experience online to fundamentally transforming how we communicate and collaborate.
As these AI tools become more sophisticated, their integration into meeting platforms could lead to even more dramatic changes. For example, AI might eventually handle not just the administrative aspects of meetings but also contribute to the substantive content. Imagine an AI that can analyze ongoing discussions in real-time, provide relevant data or insights on the fly, and even predict the outcomes of different strategic decisions based on historical data and current trends.
Moreover, the role of AI in meetings might extend beyond the corporate world. Educational institutions, non-profits, and government agencies could all benefit from AI-enhanced meetings. In educational settings, AI could help teachers and students organize their thoughts, track progress, and ensure that no important points are missed during class discussions or collaborative projects.
In non-profits and government agencies, where resources are often limited, AI could help streamline operations and make meetings more efficient, ensuring that every minute spent in discussion translates into actionable outcomes. This could be particularly beneficial in crisis situations, where quick and efficient decision-making is crucial.
Additionally, the accessibility and inclusivity of meetings may be significantly impacted by the application of AI. AI technologies can offer real-time translation, transcription, and other assistance functions to people with disabilities, facilitating their full participation in talks. Regardless of one’s physical or mental capabilities, this could help level the playing field and guarantee that everyone has an equal chance to contribute.
It’s critical to think about the ethical ramifications of using AI in meetings as it develops. It will be necessary to address concerns like data privacy, the possibility of bias in AI algorithms, and the requirement for openness in the usage and governance of AI tools. To reach its greatest potential and be widely accepted, artificial intelligence must be applied morally and responsibly.
Meetings could be completely transformed by AI, becoming more inclusive, productive, and efficient. Benefits outweigh the difficulties by a wide margin. Our ability to use AI in meetings will allow us to turn them from a source of inefficiency and aggravation into a potent instrument for creativity and teamwork. It appears that meetings have a brighter future than ever as we investigate and advance these technologies.
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