Meeting facilitators have never had access to more technologies to make their gatherings more efficient, effective, and impactful. Since 2023, generative AI has quickly become part of the mainstream business workflows. One of the newest applications is the AI meeting assistant. Platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams have release built-in companions, while niche players such as Otter, Fathom, and Fellows offer their own specialized tools. Today, the software comparison website G2.com lists more than 100 AI meeting assistant platforms.
These tools are exciting and useful. They can capture notes, generate summaries, and track tasks. Yet companies and employees are still scrambling to figure out what they are, how they should be used, and which tools truly add value. Without a clear strategy, organizations risk not only inefficiency but also subtle erosion of authentic human interaction. Does anyone really want to attend a meeting filled with individual AI bots?
The truth remains this: great meetings come from clarity of purpose, a strong process, and trusted relationships. AI can provide leverage with information capture, but it is no substitute for excellent facilitation. Below are some best practices to consider when bringing AI into the meeting room.
1. Make Meeting Fundamentals the Priority
AI won’t fix a bad meeting. Without a clear purpose, the right people, or sound decision-making method, no transcription or automated task list will drive real productivity. Strong meetings being with clarity on why the meeting is occurring, what success looks like from an outcome perspective, who needs to be there, and what process will be used to guide the group.
Facilitations should be explicit about AI’s role in meetings. Sensitive conversations may warrant pausing recordings, especially if there is lack of clarity on where the data sits. Others may benefit from full transcription. Meeting productivity begins with the fundamentals of people first, then layer on the technology.
2. Add some structure and precision
One of the greatest risks of AI is mistaking raw transcripts for progress. Transcription without structure often results in captured banter without outcomes. This can be mitigated by facilitators guiding people step-by-step through a meeting agenda, tackling on topic at a time. This keeps people aligned, focused, and produces higher-quality AI outputs.
Saying something like, “today we are going to cover three topics: X, Y, and Z” helps both humans and AI stay on track. Generative AI performs best with clear, explicit written and verbal inputs.
Structure provide the clear framework that AI needs to process information, identify patterns, and make predictions.
3. Use facilitation to support listening
Technology can free people from tedious note-taking. However, this should never replace the art of real listening and being empathetic. Active listening is fundamentally a human process of absorbing spoken words, understanding another’s perspective, and being willing to lean into emotional cues to more fully understand another. Are you being altered by what is said?
This dynamic of listening and understanding can be enhanced using a few simple and proven facilitation techniques:
- Using Group Memory – this involves capturing key ideas visually on a whiteboard or a shared document. The value is to aid people in focus. Visuals can help clarify complex ideas, improve interaction, and boost memory retention. This is especially important in conversations involving idea generation, problem-solving or complex ideas.
- Paraphrasing & summarizing – this involves the meeting leader restating or recapping what has been said. This ensures alignment and trains the AI output to reflect accurate agreements.
- Inclusive questioning and involvement – this involves the meeting leader noticing when someone is quiet and finding ways to engage this person. Remember that although AI can offer up sentiment analysis, it cannot create equitable participation. Only the leader can reinforce and guide an inclusive interaction.
4. Build Shared Understanding in the Moment
AI outputs are often only as good as the inputs. To sharpen summaries and action items, facilitators can build explicit agreements. These practices can reduce “weak agreements” and move towards precise commitments and clear action items.
This includes:
- Confirming decisions verbally: “our decision is X, and the action is Y by Z date”
- Check for alignment: use quick checks like “thumbs up if wer’re ready to move on to next topic” to build process agreements
- Correcting AI in real time: encourage meeting participants to flag errors in transcripts or summaries as they occur.
Finally, generative AI tools beyond AI meeting assistants can be used as “thinking partners” to boost your critical thinking. At your next meeting, ask your favorite AI tool, “what are the unanswered questions” or “what are we not considering”? Use these inputs to expand your thinking and consider new possibilities.
AI can be excellent sifting through lots of information and providing a distilled and clear summary.
5. Prioritize Investment and Security
AI tools can vary widely. Leaders must make wise choices about what to adopt and how to manage risks. Some key considerations include:
- Focus on utility. Without understanding what you are solving for, you run the risk of investing in tools without buy in or adoption. First understanding where time or productivity gains are mostly possible. Start there.
- Consent & transparency. Always inform participants when an AI tool is in use. Psychological safety depends on clear communication.
- Data sensitivity. In industries like finance or healthcare, third party transcription may be unacceptable without clear safeguards. Before making tool selections, ensure these AI tools meet regulatory or IT requirements.
- Integration beyond note. Look for AI platforms that feed outputs into CRM or project management systems. This is where true ROI can be realized.
- Policies & training. Don’t just “turn on” AI. Establish clear guidelines for when and how AI should be used. Remember that if you’re not paying for the product, you may be the product.
AI is undeniably “in the room” now. For leaders, the question is not whether to allow AI, but how to shape its role in ways that build clarity, trust, and collaboration.
The answer lies in pairing proven facilitation techniques with responsible AI adoption. Remembering that most meeting problems are process problems. Meeting fundamentals—clear purpose, structured agendas, inclusive participation—remain the foundation. AI can then support information capture and synthesis.
Leaders who achieve this balance will unlock productivity gains but will also create the space for more authentic interactions and meaningful collaboration.
Are you looking for more information on AI meeting assistant tools and how to implement? Go here for more information and access a best practices toolkit.
Join Chris Williams as he leads the free webinar “Facilitating in a Tech-Enabled World: Keeping Collaboration Human” on October 14 at 1:00 ET. Register: https://www.interactionassociates.com/facilitating-in-a-tech-enabled-world-live-webinar.
About the Expert:
Chris Williams serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Interaction Associates. His background includes more than ten years in the professional services space in business operations, recruiting, business development, and complex research roles. Prior work includes strategy consulting for Fortune 500 clients. Interaction Associates is best known for introducing the concept and practice of group facilitation to the business world in the early 1970’s. For over 50 years, IA has provided thousands of leaders and teams with practical, simple, and effective programs, tools, and techniques for leading, meeting, and working better across functions, viewpoints, and geographies. Learn more by visiting https://www.interactionassociates.com/ and connect with Chris on LinkedIn.
