It isn’t a battle between humans and machines; it’s about judgment. While AI is a useful tool in some circumstances human note-takers remain superior for several reasons:

• Contextual Intelligence: AI doesn't  understands nuance. For example, a notetaker can distinguish between a "suggestion" and a "firm decision," ensuring the final document  reflects the actual consensus of the room.     

      

• Reasoning over Transcription: AI  creates a "data dump. So, if for example one of the  participants is a “waffler” an AI program will  try to transcribe every word, resulting in a massive file of nonsense,  which has to be summarised somehow. A human note taker however can filter out the important points from the “waffle” while the meeting or lecture is live.     

      

• Accuracy & Context: AI often struggles with accents, technical jargon, or overlapping voices. A human understands the context of a conversation and can clarify ambiguous points.

      

• Intellectual property and Security:  Unless you take positive action, some AI programmes may scrape your data and use it commercially without your consent. This is especially sensitive when dealing with personal issues such as HR or medical issues. A professional note-taker is bound by NDAs, GDPR and     enhanced DBS's.     

      

• Body Language,  Demeanour & the Unexpected: Meetings can be torrid, sometimes with shouting, table thumping, walkouts and fire alarms. AI doesn't understand what is happening and cannot record the unexpected.